


Reading Percy Jackson: Book 2 - The Sea of Monsters

by Lorixjake



Series: Reading Percy Jackson [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Book 2: The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson), Characters Reading Percy Jackson Books, Children of the Big Three (Percy Jackson), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Bonding, Fluff, Friendship, Gods become better parents, M/M, Protective Poseidon (Percy Jackson), Reading the Books, hints of Solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorixjake/pseuds/Lorixjake
Summary: The group made it through the first book without the Gods killing anyone, mostly due to not having their powers. How will they react to all that happens in Percy's second summer at Camp Half-Blood?
Relationships: Apollo & Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Hera/Zeus, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Silena Beauregard/Charles Beckendorf, Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson friendship - Relationship
Series: Reading Percy Jackson [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834675
Comments: 107
Kudos: 652





	1. My Best Friend Shops for a Wedding Dress

The next morning everyone woke up and made their way into the dining hall. Hermes and his children were the first ones to arrive, giggling to themselves. Athena and Annabeth game in next, both sporting grey hair. 

“Hermes!” Athena yelled.

“Yes, Athena?” The God asked innocently.

“What did you do?” 

“Nothing.” He answered honestly. Travis had been in charge of that particular duo. 

“Well then what did your spawn do?”

“Hey.” The Stolls protested.

“Reverse it.” Annabeth demanded.

“We can’t. It lasts for twelve hours.” Chris grinned. Just then Ares and Clarisse walked in with blood red hair.

“HERMES!” Ares shouted.

“Wasn’t me.” He smirked. Chris grinned. He had drawn the short straw as nobody really wanted to get caught dying the War God’s hair. Or Clarisse’s for that matter. Slowly, the rest of the group arrived. Percy, Thalia and Poseidon had green hair that matched the two sea people’s eyes while Zeus and Hera had blue hair. Nico and Hades were now white haired and both of them looked incredibly unhappy about this fact. Those who had slept in the guest rooms, including Chiron were all sporting rainbow coloured hair while Frank seemed quite upset with but the others found it rather amusing. Dionysus and Dakota were now purple haired while Aphrodite and her kids had hot pink hair. Piper was very upset, she headed straight towards the Hermes kids who all dived behind their father.

“Reverse this!” She screamed.

“We can’t. It won’t wear off for twelve hours.” Travis explained.

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Calm down, Pipes.” Jason moved forwards to take her hand. She looked at him, anger fading into surprise when she saw his rainbow coloured hair. Then Apollo and Will arrived, sporting silver hair. Chris had figured that gold hair really wouldn’t do much to the two blondes. Demeter had escaped the prank, as had Artemis and Hestia. Hephaestus and his kids had red hair but a brighter shade than Ares and Clarisse. Leo seemed quite pleased with his hair. Beckendorf was less impressed but after seeing the various other colours in the room he felt better. Once everyone had finished eating they moved to the throne room. They sat in the same seating arrangements as the day before, although Thalia moved back to sit with Percy rather than Annabeth. The Stolls sat on either side of their father while Chris sat at his feet. 

“Who will read?” Chiron asked.

“I haven’t read yet.” Frank spoke up. Chiron smiled and handed him the book with the number two on the spine.

**“My best friend shops for a wedding dress.”**

“What? This is definitely starting as strangely as the last one.” Leo commented. Grover let out a quiet groan as he figured out what this was about. Percy shot him a smirk.

“Is Grover getting married?” Reyna asked in bemusement.

“No.” The Satyr yelled in embarrassment.

**My nightmare started like this.**

“Oh great. Percy’s nightmares are never good.” Poseidon groaned.

**I was standing...for his life.**

“Running for your life and you stop to shop for a wedding dress?” Thalia asked in amusement.

“Don’t you?” Grover asked sarcastically.

**Yeah, I said...Grover is a satyr.**

“We know?” Nico frowned.

“Maybe the book recaps in case you didn’t read the first one?” Leo suggested.

“Why would you not read the first one?” Athena asked in horror.

“Especially given that these books were sent back for us to read. We would obviously read them all.” Annabeth frowned. Everyone just shrugged.

**From the waist...I don’t recommend),**

Grover glared at Percy while everyone else sniggered.

**you’d never...since last July,**

“You didn’t check in for almost a year?” Jason asked.

“I didn’t have much chance.” Grover said.

**when he set...something.**

“Descriptive.” Percy snorted at his own thoughts.

**A bone-rattling...wedding dresses.**

“I’m not sure a shop with no other exits is a good hiding place.” Beckendorf frowned.

“Yeah. I found that out.” Grover sighed.

**The monster’s shadow...rotten meat**

Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Clarisse all grimaced. They could all recall that smell very well.

**and that weird...shadow passed on.**

“I’d say good but it wouldn’t be a nightmare if it was that easy.” Nico frowned.

“It’ll be coming back.” Beckendorf agreed.

**Silence except...bellowed: “MIIIIINE!”**

“That’s pretty creepy.” Percy noted.

“Try actually living it.” Clarisse muttered. Everyone who didn’t know what happened gave her strange looks.

**I sat bolt...humanlike shape.**

Percy glanced over at Annabeth who had gone a little red. 

**But then there...anyone out there.**

Percy smirked over at Nico.

“Unless you shadow travel.”

“You sneaked into Percy’s room through his window?” Hades raised an eyebrow at his son. Nico blushed.

“I needed to speak with him and I didn’t want to be seen.” Nico tried to explain.

“How did that work out for ya?” Percy asked with a chuckle.

“That was your fault.” Nico reminded him. Apollo and Will both watched the exchange with very similar frowns.

**“Come on, dear,”...made it.’”**

“Almost being the operative word.” Percy muttered to himself.

**“Coming,”...for so long….**

“Why would you need it now?” Poseidon asked. 

“I was still unsure about the shadow at the window.” Percy said.

**Besides, my mom...her china cabinet.**

Everybody laughed again.

“Why were you swinging a javelin inside anyway?” Chiron raised an eyebrow.

“Practise?” Percy offered.

“Swords are one things but javelins aren’t quite another.” Chiron told him.

**I put Anaklusmos...Grover meant?**

“Well, I’m guessing that he wanted to warn you something is coming. Whatever was chasing him.” Reyna said.

“Maybe.” Gwen frowned.

**I made a three-fingered...exploding homework.**

“Exploding homework?” Poseidon smirked at his son.

“Yep.” Percy nodded. “Although that may not have been supernatural.”

“What did you do?” Leo asked eagerly.

“Science project gone wrong.” Percy admitted.

**Tomorrow, I’d...mess that up.**

“Well you just jinxed it.” Thalia sighed.

**As usual...miracles like that.**

“I love how your mom thinks blue food is as much of a miracle as you going a whole year without being expelled.” Annabeth laughed.

“She really should know better than to celebrate even a day before the year is over.” Grover added.

**I ate at the...all right?”**

“Yeah, Percy not eating is a big indicator something isn’t right.” Thalia nodded.

**“Yeah … fine.”...bothering me.**

“Not eating and saying he’s fine. You don’t need to be a mind reader to know something is up.” Apollo scoffed lightly.

“It is fairly obvious.” Annabeth agreed.

**She dried her...from camp… .”**

“Yeah. Maybe.” Percy muttered. He recalled not being told about a couple of things going wrong at camp.

**Her shoulders...for camp tonight.”**

“Why would Percy not go to camp?” Reyna frowned.

“Because there was stuff going on.” Chiron sighed.

“Well then surely you would want Percy there?” Jason said.

**She twisted her...have to postpone.”**

“But Camp is the only...one of the only safe places.” Poseidon said, correcting himself with a glance at the Romans.

**“Postpone? Mom...so suddenly.”**

“So camp is in so much danger that Chiron thinks Percy shouldn’t go and yet his mom won’t explain.” Thalia raised an eyebrow.

“He has school.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Yes, I’m sure he’ll be completely focused on school.” Will scoffed.

**My mind was...will be waiting.”**

Percy smiled slightly while Annabeth cringed, recalling her initial reaction to meeting Tyson.

**“But—”...underground alone.**

“Tyson? Afraid of the underground?” Rachel raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. He was afraid of a lot of things to begin with.” Percy said with another fond smile.

**I gathered up...as I can.”**

“That’s still not very comforting.” Connor muttered.

“Yeah, well, Camp wasn’t in a good state that year, was it?” Travis muttered to his brother.

**Reluctantly, I told...afternoon talk.**

“That sounds about right.” Poseidon sighed.

**In fact...long time.**

“It wasn’t that long.” Percy frowned. “Just a regular summer.”

**As I stepped...to no one.**

Everyone frowned and then turned to Annabeth.

“What?” She asked.

“You’re the only one who knows Percy that can turn invisible.” Nico pointed out.

**Then it rippled and vanished.**

“Chapter’s over.” Frank announced. “That was really short.” 

“Lucky you.” Clarisse muttered.

“I’ll read next.” Jason offered. Frank handed over the book.


	2. I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals

“I can’t say that cannibals sound like good playmates.” Leo said.

“I don’t recommend it.” Percy replied.

“There goes a normal school day.” Jason laughed.

“We already knew there was no chance of that.” Thalia smirked at her brother.

**My day started...T-shirts to work.**

“That sounds like an awesome school.” Connor said eagerly.

“Wish we could have gone there.” Travis agreed.

**That’s all cool...would happen.**

“What?” Athena looked horrified.

“That is the best exam ever.” Leo whistled. “I am so jealous.”

“I can’t believe any teacher thought that would be a good idea.” Silena shook her head in astonishment.

**What happened...pebble fights,**

“Pebble fights? Is that just throwing stones at each other?” Reyna asked.

“Pretty much.” Percy shrugged.

“How did nobody get seriously injured?” 

“Luck mostly.”

**and a full-tackle...like he was.**

Clarisse’s lip curled.

**He had eyes...family’s money.**

Aphrodite cringed.

**One of his...CHILDREN sign.**

“So enjoys pretending to be tough and is actually very stupid. Not a great combination.” Leo noted. He hated bullies but he especially hated having to try and survive by using his awesome sense of humour.

**Anyway, Sloan...my friend Tyson.**

Everyone who knew Tyson burst out laughing.

“I hope it hurt.” Annabeth said.

“The wedgie?” Reyna asked. She thought it was out of character for Annabeth to wish a wedgie to be successful.

“No. What Tyson did to him when he tried.” She snickered.

**Tyson was...Abominable Snowman,**

“He’s bigger now.” Percy grinned.

**but he cried...his own reflection.**

“He’s getting better about that too.” Annabeth smiled.

“Yeah. He’s pretty brave nowadays.” Grover agreed. 

**His face was...his crooked teeth.**

The Gods exchanged looks. That seemed like the mist was hiding Tyson’s face but surely if he was a monster then Percy and his friends wouldn’t speak so fondly of him. 

**His voice was...72nd Street.**

Percy sighed. At least Tyson was away from there now. He was under the sea in the forges, doing what he was meant to do.

**Meriwether Prep had...about themselves.**

“That sounds terrible. He’s a person not a project.” Beckendorf frowned. The son of Hephaestus got on quite well with Tyson as they bonded over making things.

“That’s Meriwether.” Percy scowled.

**Unfortunately, most...on him.**

There were a few angry mutterings from the Greek demigods.

**I was pretty...only friend.**

“Well, I didn’t want to be friends with the bullies anyway.” Percy scoffed.

“I don’t blame you.” Leo nodded.

**My mom had...I don’t know.**

“How could he not exist?” Chris frowned.

“The mist.” Travis muttered quietly. Chris then nodded.

**Anyway, Matt Sloan...tire swing.**

Everyone burst out laughing, although those who didn’t know his true nature were also shocked and a little confused.

**“You freak!”...cardboard box!”**

“Clearly Tyson didn’t hit him hard enough.” Beckendorf scowled.

**Tyson started...bent the bar,**

“Ok? What kind of person bends bars when they sit down?” Reyna asked.

“Monster.” Dakota said.

“The Greeks all seem to know and like him. I don’t see him being a monster.” Gwen pointed out.

**and buried...for that freak.”**

“If you’re the type of friend he could have then why would he want them?” Thalia scoffed.

“I don’t.” Percy said.

**I balled my...them before.**

“Matt Sloan has cannibal friends?” Piper asked.

“I doubt he knows if they are.” Jason said.

**“Just wait till...perfectly.**

“What? He thinks that is a success?” Apollo frowned.

“Apparently so.” Hermes said, trying for a grin. The prank with his sons had put him in a better mood but now that they were reading again it felt like a permanent reminder of his future son.

**We all passed...violent people.**

“So they passed your course by having fights but they shouldn’t be violent?” Leo asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Talk about mixed messages.” Chris snorted.

“I wish it was always that easy to pass an exam.” Connor sighed. Many demigods nodded in agreement.

**Matt Sloan nodded...gritting my teeth.**

“Why were you gritting your teeth?” Nico frowned.

“Just angry with Sloan.” Percy said but Nico wasn’t entirely convinced.

**“Matt Sloan is...him about it.**

“He hadn’t.” Percy put in.

“That’s terrible.” Silena said.

**“Don’t worry...would be fine?**

“You can’t know for sure but it’s probably better to lie a little than tell him he’s screwed.” Thalia said.

“Yeah.” Percy sighed. He wasn’t sure that was true.

**Our next exam...something explode,**

“I seriously need to go to this school.” Travis said.

“I’m so jealous.” Leo agreed. “You have the easiest exams ever.” 

“But that’s terribly dangerous.” Annabeth pointed out.

“I don’t think they seem to care.” Thalia shrugged.

**Tyson was...the trash can.**

“Not quite a proper explosion but not bad.” Leo nodded.

“You mixed unknown chemicals and possibly created a toxic cloud.” Annabeth looked at Percy sternly.

“Hey, Tyson did it, not me.” He shrugged.

**After Mrs. Tesla...natural chemists.**

“What?” Athena gasped in exasperation. “They knocked the chemicals over. That doesn’t make them natural chemists, it makes them naturally clumsy.” 

**We were...Grover was in danger.**

“There was still time.” Grover smiled.

“Yeah, I just feel bad that I knew you were in danger and yet we still went to Camp and took forever to do anything about it.” Percy frowned.

**In social studies...Washington, D.C.**

“You have a photo of Annabeth in your notebook?” Silena asked with a knowing smile. 

“Awwww.” Aphrodite squealed. Percy went bright red.

“I wanted to remind myself that Camp was real and hadn’t been just a dream.” He explained. Nico noted that Annabeth looked a little disappointed with that explanation. He felt a light stab of jealousy that Percy kept a photo of her but it wasn’t as strong as usual. During this reading, and the Big Three kid bonding times, he was finding the mystery of Percy being stripped away. He wasn’t the all powerful, invincible hero that Nico had first thought he was. And while that was ok, it was quite nice knowing he was human like the rest of them, it also made Nico realise that his crush was on who he _thought_ Percy was and not who he _actually_ was.

**She was wearing...my imagination.**

“That would be one hell of a dream.” Clarisse scoffed.

“Given my usual dreams, it really wasn’t that out of the question.” Percy pointed out. She shrugged and nodded in agreement.

**I wished...annoying sometimes.**

There was a lot of muffled snickering.

“You don’t need to admit it to me. I know.” Annabeth said smugly. Percy rolled his eyes.

**I was about...felt hot.**

“Git.” Thalia scowled.

**Sloan handed...spit wads.**

“Ooh Tyson did _not_ hit that kid hard enough.” Thalia said angrily.

**They were new...names like that.**

“Really? A bad sense of humour is what you thought of instead of monsters?” Poseidon asked his son.

“I hadn’t seen any monsters all summer.” Percy shrugged. “I had sort of relaxed a little too much.”

**“These guys are...Sloan in the face.**

“Don’t hold back. Just punch him.” Clarisse encouraged.

“I wish I had.” Percy sighed.

**“You’re such a...for monsters.**

Chiron nodded and smiled at Percy.

**Still, part of...calling my name.**

“First the bedroom window, then this. Percy’s got an invisible stalker.” Chris sniggered.

“I wonder who it could be?” Grover smirked as everyone looked over at Annabeth who had gone red.

**Before I had...to kill me.**

“This should be fun.” Clarisse grinned.

“Not the word I would have used.” Rachel muttered thinking of the chapter title.

**The gym uniform...hippie children.**

There was an outbreak of sniggering.

**I changed as...“Yeah, sure, man.”**

Percy sighed. He really hadn’t been a good friend to Tyson at first. Or a good brother. A few people gave him confused looks as he had spoken so highly of Tyson but seemed aggravated by him in the book.

**Tyson ducked...ask him about.**

“Well that’s a personal question.” Rachel said.

“Yeah.” Percy nodded.

**Anyway, I’d...doors off lockers.**

“Always a good way of getting rid of stress.” Leo said with a laugh.

“Yeah, it’s not a good day unless I’ve ripped at least a few locker doors off.” Connor nodded.

**When we got...that I’d observed.**

There was more laughter.

**Matt Sloan said...and his gang.**

“Clearly even teams then.” Grover scoffed.

“Yeah, I had Tyson.” Percy grinned a little.

  
“And they have cannibals apparently.” Thalia pointed out.

**Normally I would’ve...“Smell funny.”**

“He can smell monsters?” Reyna asked. “Interesting.”

**The visitors were...like targets.**

“Somehow I don’t think that’s going to work.” Clarisse rolled her eyes.

“Unless they are monsters who will only be after Percy.” Rachel pointed out.

“The rest of the mortal kids will probably attack them though.” Chris shrugged.

**“Tyson,” I said...throw that hard.**

“You still haven’t worked out they are monsters?” Thalia raised an eyebrow.

“Er…” Percy tried for a winning smile but judging by her scoff he failed miserably.

**Tyson yelled, “Percy...kill somebody!”**

“I think that might be the point.” Ares grinned. 

**The visitor named...and enemies.**

“Oh good. He’s clocked on.” Grover smirked at his friend.

“Er, from my experience gym clothes don’t tend to have pockets. Percy probably doesn’t have his sword on him.” Rachel pointed out.

“Well there’s that Percy luck.” Thalia sighed.

**What had Tyson...Valentine hearts.**

“Monsters tattooed with valentine hearts?” Beckendorf snorted.

**Matt Sloan dropped...wouldn’t budge.**

“Oh wonderful.” Grover groaned.

**“Let them go!”...We want lunch!”**

“Yes, I always wanted to be someone’s lunch.” Percy muttered.

“Well, if you still feel that way then I’m sure there are plenty of monsters who would take you up on that offer.” Annabeth smirked.

“I think I’ll pass.” Percy grimaced.

**He waved his...like usual.**

“The rest of the mortal kids saw them as monsters.” Rachel pointed out.

“Well, they saw them as more dangerous than just regular kids from Detroit. I don’t think they saw actual monsters.” Beckendorf said.

“Plus the coach clearly isn’t paying any real attention.” Nico added.

**Maybe the other...smoking shreds.**

“Well done Tyson.” Rachel breathed.

**“Run!” I told...we eat you!”**

“I think it’s quite difficult to leave if you’ve been eaten.” Connor pointed out.

“Just a bit.” Travis agreed.

**He launched...completely defenseless.**

“Wonderful.” Poseidon groaned.

“I hate gym even more than before.” Percy said.

**Another fireball...threw their balls.**

“Woah. The kid cries at anything but he is willing to jump in front of those things for Percy.” Reyna said, looking over at the son of the Sea God.

**“Tyson!” I screamed...against their chests.**

The Greek demigods all cheered.

“Go Tyson!” The Stolls yelled. The Romans all exchanged looks, trying to work out what Tyson was. Clearly he was no mortal but they couldn’t see Percy being friends with a monster.

**The giants...after a fight.**

“Yeah. That is very helpful.” Beckendorf nodded.

“Makes life much easier.” Clarisse agreed.

**“My brothers!”...huge KA-BOOM!**

“Please tell me he noticed that?” Apollo raised an eyebrow.

“It’s probably safer if he doesn’t. The monsters are ignoring him for now.” Hermes muttered.

“But how does he not notice explosions going on all around him?” Ares asked in astonishment. The other Gods all shrugged. Mortals were weird.

**Kids were running...come help us.**

“I don’t think they are going to be able to help much.” Rachel sighed.

**“Victory will...way too seriously,**

Sniggers could be heard throughout the room.

**but before I...a crazy idea.**

“Oh dear.” Chris winced.

“No, the crazy ideas are the best ones.” Thalia said. “It’s the carefully made plans you need to worry about.”

“Oh shut up.” Percy stuck his tongue out.

**I ran toward...locker room door.**

“Nice thinking.” Nico grinned.

**Now, I figured...a huge WHOOOOOOOM!**

All of the females wrinkled their noses.

“Cool.” Connor grinned.

“Gross.” Thalia corrected.

**The wall blew...over the gym.**

“Oh great, now you need to find your sword in that mess.” Poseidon sighed.

**I turned just...in the face.**

“Nice.” Clarisse grinned happily.

“Tyson has taken out almost all of them by himself.” Frank said in awe.

**The giant crumpled...of cinder blocks.**

“Wow.” Dakota said.

“He should be dead.” Reyna noted.

**“Well!” Joe Bob...but I charged.**

“Percy.” Poseidon groaned.

“Why would you charge right at a monster who is about to kill you?” Apollo asked.

“I needed my sword.” Percy shrugged.

**The giant laughed...of a blade.**

“The cavalry has arrived then.” Thalia grinned.

“I wonder if that’s Percy’s stalker.” Grover smirked.

“I was _not_ stalking him.” Annabeth scowled.

**The ball dropped...pretty upset.**

The room laughed once more.

“That’s some pretty good timing there.” Piper smiled at Annabeth.

**Standing in the...miles by ghosts.**

“That’s not good.” Reyna frowned.

“I was alright.” Annabeth smiled slightly.

**Matt Sloan...off my friend.”**

“Yes!” The room cheered.

“Nice one, bird brain.” Clarisse smirked.

“Really Clarisse?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow. The other girl just grinned.

**The gym was in...bedroom window?”**

Aphrodite wolf whistled while Apollo scowled at the confirmation. Percy and Annabeth were both red.

**“There’s no time...quite understand.**

Thalia sighed as Annabeth looked regretful.

**“You’d better...of police officers.**

“Thanks for that.” Percy told Annabeth dryly.

“Hey, the cap doesn’t cover more than one.” She grinned.

**“Percy Jackson?”...building on fire.**

“What? It was his stupid friends.” Rachel scowled.

“That’s Matt Sloan for you.” Percy shrugged.

**Coach Nunley will...of the building.**

“You won’t be going back there then?” Rachel laughed.

“No. Definitely not.” Percy grinned.

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Jason said.

“I haven’t read yet.” Silena noted. Jason passed her the book.


	3. We Hail The Taxi Of Eternal Torment

“That sounds like something to avoid.” Leo said, looking slightly ill. He didn’t like cars at the best of times but that sounded terrible.

“Definitely.” Percy nodded.

“Why would you hail a taxi of eternal torment?” Piper asked.

“We didn’t have many options.” Annabeth shrugged.

**Annabeth was...pointing at Tyson.**

“That’s kinda rude.” Beckendorf frowned.

“Yeah.” Annabeth winced. “Tyson and I had a few issues to begin with. We’ve sorted them out now.” 

**Now, under...to see her.**

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“It had been a bad day already and then you were treating my friend like he was the scum on the bottom of your shoe.” Percy reminded her.

“Yes, because you were  _ so _ good to Tyson later.” She glared at him. Percy cringed.

**We’d made our...wanted to admit.**

Aphrodite smiled at Percy knowingly.

**But I’d just...was the problem.**

“That is a good point. You’d think you’d be slightly grateful that he saved Percy’s life.” Beckendorf frowned.

“Give her a break. Annabeth didn’t have the best experiences with...people like Tyson.” Thalia told him.

**“He’s my friend,”...“He can talk?”**

“Ok, that’s pretty rude.” Thalia told her friend.

“Yeah.” Annabeth sighed.

**“I talk,” Tyson...being so rude.**

“I can.” Leo muttered to himself but Annabeth heard and frowned over at him.

**I examined...with him around.”**

“That is a good point. They must have been rather desperate.” Clarisse considered.

“The place probably seemed like a feast to them.” Silena said.

**Tyson seemed...New York before.”**

“Another good point.” Apollo nodded.

“Yes, monsters haven’t been behaving entirely normally with Kronos around.” Percy told him.

**“Laistry—I can’t...“Canadians,” she decided.**

“Hey!” Frank complained. 

“Sorry.” Annabeth said, looking at him in surprise. She hadn’t known he was Canadian.

**“Now come on...trouble at camp.”**

Chiron’s expression turned dark and Thalia grimaced. She didn’t remember much of being a tree but she did recall feeling quite ill.

**“My mom was...the Sea God?”**

“I hope you teach him that not all Canadians are monsters.” Frank grumbled, feeling offended.

**Annabeth and...to the point.**

A few people chuckled.

“He’s definitely a monster of some kind.” Reyna muttered to herself. These Greeks are definitely strange, hanging around with monsters. Even if Tyson does seem nice enough.

**“Uh, well, Annabeth...“But then …”**

Poseidon’s eyes widened. Tyson must be one of his children. Then he smiled. Tyson would be a good person to protect Percy from all the trouble he seemed to get into. Although it sounded like Tyson hadn’t had the best life and he seemed to be scared of everything.

**A siren wailed...looking for us.**

“Yeah. He just saved Percy’s life, you can’t just leave him.” Jason said.

“We didn’t leave him.” Annabeth assured him.

**“We can’t just...the hospital,**

Poseidon had to resist the urge to glare at the daughter of Athena. Although given what he suspected Tyson was, he couldn’t blame her too much for being wary. 

**but I followed...like claw marks.**

Athena looked at her daughter in concern.

“It wasn’t anything too bad. Looked worse than it was.” She assured her mother.

**“What are you...won’t take that.”**

“Not normal ones, no.” Connor smirked.

“There are taxis for demigods?” Reyna asked. The Greeks all nodded.

“Not particularly fun ones but they get you where you need to go.” Chris said.

**”Stêthi,” she shouted...Chariot of Damnation!**

“So the title wasn’t an exaggeration then?” Piper asked warily.

“Not at all.” Percy said.

**That didn’t exactly...her plan was.**

“I don’t think that would make anyone excited.” Hazel said quietly.

**She threw her...through it.**

“That’s not what you want from your taxi.” Connor pointed out.

“It’s solid really, it just looked like that.” Annabeth told him.

**There were words...Kids Day?**

“You haven’t worked out that he’s not a normal kid yet?” Travis looked at Percy.

“The mist was still affecting him.” Chiron said.

**“Extra pay,” Annabeth...sackcloth dress.**

“They don’t sound like people you’d want driving.” Reyna frowned.

“They aren’t.” Beckendorf laughed.

“It has the name it does for a reason.” Silena smiled at the Romans.

**The one driving...of a seat belt.**

“Ok? That’s creepy.” Piper grimaced.

**I decided I wasn’t that desperate … yet.**

“I don’t blame you.” Connor said.

“I can’t say I’d be in a hurry to use that either.” Chris agreed.

“You would be after a few minutes in the cab.” Beckendorf assured them both.

**The cab sped...her the eye?**

“The one driving doesn’t have an eye?!” Jason asked in astonishment.

“No. It’s driven by the Gray sisters. They have one eye and one tooth between the three of them.” 

**I didn’t have...the next block.**

“I feel sick just listening to this.” Leo complained.

**“Wasp!” the third...on Broome Street.**

“Yep. I definitely do not want to ever ride that.” Leo said, going slightly green.

“What are you talking about, boy? That’s the best way to drive.” Ares grinned widely.

“That sounds so cool!” Connor grinned widely.

“We need to get a ride sometime.” Travis agreed with his brother.

“Let’s not.” Chris said.

**“Excuse me,”...feeling so good.”**

“I don’t blame Tyson.” Thalia nodded.

“Me either.” Percy stated. “I was so glad I don’t get carsick.”

**“Oh, man,” I said...way to camp.”**

“Speed isn’t always the best way.” Apollo said in what he thought was a wise tone.

“Nonsense.” Ares scoffed.

**“Then why didn’t...should be obvious.**

Percy sighed. He really hated that tone.

**“They only serve...“Jason! You remember him?”**

“I really hope they mean the other Jason.” Jason said.

  
“They did.” Annabeth laughed.

**“Don’t remind me!”...you old hag!”**

“I think the rule should be whoever is driving gets the eye.” Chris said.

“That would make more sense but they wouldn’t be them if they didn’t spend the entire time arguing.” Beckendorf grinned.

**“Excuses! Turn!...Tyson and the door.**

Percy grimaced. That wasn’t very comfortable.

**She punched the...anything it saw.**

Everybody looked at least vaguely disgusted by the description.

**Finally Anger...going to die!”**

“You’ll be alright if you land in the water.” Frank pointed out. 

“True.” Percy shrugged.

**“Don’t worry,”...exactly reassured.**

“Honestly, I’d struggle to believe you there, Annie.” Thalia told her friend. 

**We were skimming...even ask yet!”**

“The location they seek?” Reyna frowned. “They know where Camp is.”

“I’m guessing that maybe they are talking about wherever Grover is.” Dakota said.

**“What?” I said...Anger agreed.**

“Well you shouldn’t have mentioned it then.” Apollo rolled his eyes.

**“Years to find... into my lap.**

“Oh yuck.” Piper grimaced.

“That’s gross.” Silena agreed with her sister.

**I jumped so...Get it!”**

“Yeah. Do not step on it.” Hermes laughed.

**“I’m not picking...“Are you crazy?**

“Well, unless you want him to puke in the taxi.” Leo said.

“Better the backpack than the taxi floor.” Percy agreed. Tyson being sick was not something you wanted to be anywhere near.

**Get the eye!”...location I seek?”**

“Bribery! Nice!” Hermes said approvingly.

“Maybe he could choose a slightly better time.” Poseidon pointed out. “Like when he’s not in a taxi with the person driving unable to see.”

“Ah, yeah.” Hermes grinned sheepishly.

**“No time!”...a million pieces.”**

“Like someone else I know.” Percy grinned over at Thalia.

“I was not  _ that _ bad.” She stuck her tongue out at him

“True but you had both eyes with which to drive.” He reminded her. She went a little red.

**“First they have...Almost to camp!”**

“Those sound like coordinates.” Poseidon frowned. He thought for a second and then his eyes widened. He did  _ not _ want his son going there. And yet, somehow, he knew he would.

**We were off...not to argue.**

“Good choice.” Nico said weakly.

**I threw the...“Better now.”**

Percy and Annabeth both grimaced.

“Better than him throwing up.” Thalia pointed out.

“Marginally.” Percy agreed.

**“All right,” I...under attack.**

“What?” All the Gods asked in unison.

“Well that was quite short. Chapter’s over.” Silena said.

“I’ll read.” Gwen offered with a smile. Silena handed the book over.


	4. Tyson Plays with Fire

“Well, he’s already played with those bronze balls the monsters at Meriwether were using and his hands weren’t burnt.” Nico said. “It can’t be much worse.” 

**Mythologically speaking...it’s bulls.**

“Fair enough given your last experience with one.” Thalia nodded.

“I’d have thought you’d have hated the three ladies more.” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“It is a tossup.” Percy shrugged.

**Last summer...fire, too.**

“Oh good.” Piper said sarcastically.

**As soon as...have been possible.**

Zeus turned to his daughter in concern while all the Greek camper’s faces darkened in anger.

**The camp’s magic...doing it anyway.**

“What’s wrong?” Zeus asked Thalia.

“You’ll find out. I was fine in the end.” She gestured to herself.

**One of the...to me!”**

“Border patrol?” Jason asked.

“Since the tree wasn’t keeping monsters out, we needed to patrol the borders.” Clarisse explained.

**A girl’s voice...to help her.”**

“I was fine.” Clarisse snarled. Ares nodded at his daughter’s words. Of course she would not need the help of that upstart brat.

**Normally, rushing...hated my guts.**

“He doesn’t fight your battles so why do you fight his?” Gwen asked Clarisse curiously.

“Family pride.” She replied grimly. Clarisse didn’t want to admit that despite the fact her dad said he didn’t interfere with his kid’s battles, he would be very angry if they didn’t take his side in any disputes he was having. And it was not worth making her father angry.

**Still, she was...fiery Mohawk.**

There were a few nervous snickers.

**Clarisse’s own...bull’s shoulder.**

“You broke another spear?” Ares looked at his daughter. “What kind of fighter are you?” Clarisse went a little red.

“Sorry father.” She replied in a meeker tone than any of the demigods had ever heard her use. Thalia and Percy exchanged looks.

**I uncapped...any more chances.”**

“If those things earlier didn’t kill him, I think he’ll be alright.” Beckendorf smiled.

“Percy is just being overprotective again.” Clarisse rolled her eyes. “Not to mention blind.”

**“No!” Annabeth said...but he can’t—”**

“Lucky?” Reyna asked in amusement.

“Yeah, yeah.” Percy sighed.

**“Percy, do you...Hephaestus himself.**

“Of course.” Nico said bitterly. More rogue creations the God didn’t bother taking care of properly. Percy reached over to squeeze the younger boy’s shoulder.

**We can’t fight...Tyson get fried.”**

“I know, I know.” Percy said before Thalia could say anything.

**“Percy—”...confusing the monster.**

“Very nice.” Athena smiled at her daughter.

**The other bull...she was brave.**

Clarisse raised an eyebrow at Percy.

“Well, I wasn’t going to say it to your face.” He grinned.

**She was a big...“Look out!”**

“If she hasn’t seen you then you’ll just make her lose concentration.” Reyna pointed out.

“Yeah but the bull would have hit her anyway.” Percy said.

“A good warrior would never lose concentration.” Ares scoffed.

**I shouldn’t have...phalanx broke.**

The War God scowled.

**Clarisse went...freight-trained past.**

“Thanks.” She muttered grudgingly. Percy just shrugged knowing she wouldn’t appreciate any verbal response. 

**I gave it a...“Percy, curse you!”**

“Let you go? He just saved your life.” Thalia raised an eyebrow.

“She gets like that when you save her.” Percy smirked.

**I dropped her...and kept coming.**

“So the magic is still working a little.” Silena stated.

“Not enough.” Reyna pointed out.

“No. Not enough.” Chiron said gravely.

**Bull Number Two...practice I was.**

Poseidon winced.

“Maybe going home for so long isn’t the best idea.” Nico frowned.

“I made up the practise pretty quickly.” Percy shrugged.

**I lunged but...maybe broken.**

“Wonderful.” Poseidon groaned.

**Bull Number One...“Can’t—get—through!”**

“Why can the bulls get through but he can’t?” Gwen asked.

“He probably wasn’t strong enough.” Silena answered.

**“I, Annabeth Chase...completely unharmed.**

Leo raised an eyebrow. Maybe he could speak to this Tyson guy about his own powers.

**Not even his...“BAD COW!”**

Everybody laughed at this.

“Tyson’s war cry is always great.” Percy grinned.

**His fists...like aluminum foil.**

Hephaestus sighed. 

“Woah. That is one heck of a punch.” Chris said, having missed the fight.

**The bull’s face...in odd places.**

“Go Tyson.” Thalia smiled.

**Annabeth ran...singed off.**

There was some more laughter

“No worse than being on the climbing wall.” Percy shrugged.

**“The other bull?”...under control!”**

“Yes. Completely under control.” Nico scoffed.

“I did.” Clarisse protested.

“No. You didn’t. Without Tyson you would have been toast.” Beckendorf stated.

**I was too...saving me again!”**

“You sure about that?” Percy smirked. She glared at him angrily. The last thing she needed was to be talking about how many times Percy had saved her in front of her father.

**“Clarisse,” Annabeth said...under her command.**

“Of course I do.” Clarisse scowled.

“We know.” Silena soothed her friend. 

**“I’ll be back,”...Disobeyed you.”**

“Bless him.” Piper said. 

**“My fault,” Annabeth said...his crooked teeth.**

“Really? That’s the excuse you came up with?” Poseidon looked at his son incredulously. Percy went red and shrugged.

“Maybe.”

**I forced myself...on either side.**

“You’re friends with a Cyclops?” Dakota’s eyebrows shot up.

“Yes.” Percy said firmly. “Tyson is great.” 

“Well, he did save your life several times. Plus he seems particularly attached to you.” Gwen smiled.

**“Tyson,” I stammered...mistakes, Percy.**

Poseidon wanted to glare at her but couldn’t quite deny her words. Still, he didn’t like seeing any of his children suffer.

**Children of...in particular, usually …**

“Oh that’s right.” Piper said. “Doesn’t that technically make him...your half brother?” She asked Percy.

“Yeah.” He agreed. “But I also have a golden rug as a half brother so you know...Tyson’s certainly not the weirdest person I’m related to.” 

“A golden rug?” Jason asked in confusion. 

“Yeah. The ram whose fleece was turned into the golden fleece was a son of Poseidon.” Annabeth told him.

**and they don’t...obviously likes you.**

“Maybe Poseidon sent him to watch over Percy.” Reyna suggested. “In the first book it mentioned Percy seeing a Cyclops when he was younger.”

**We should take...what Tyson was?**

“Because for someone so perceptive you can be an idiot.” Nico laughed.

“Percy probably didn’t  _ want _ to acknowledge that Tyson was a monster. He let the mist affect him without realising because he wanted a normal time at home.” Silena said.

**But I didn’t have...normal recycling bins.**

“Probably not.” Thalia laughed.

**Clarisse came back...what’s happened.”**

“Tantalus?” Apollo asked in confusion. “What on Olympus is he doing at Camp?”

“Nothing good.” Percy scowled.

**“Tantalus?” I asked...Clarisse said impatiently.**

“But Chiron is the activities director.” Hermes frowned.

“It wasn’t a good summer.” Chiron sighed sadly. 

**“Chiron is the...“Argus got fired.**

“What?” Hera asked, looking angry. “Why would you fire Argus?” She asked Dionysus.

“I don’t know. I haven’t done it yet.” Dionysus shrugged.

**You two have...strong and healthy.**

“Oh good. A pointless recap.” Thalia rolled her eyes.

**But now, its...oozing green sap.**

“Who did this?” Zeus asked furiously.

“What’s wrong?” Jason questioned anxiously.

“You’ll find out. But I’m fine.” Thalia assured them both. “It actually worked out pretty well.”

**A sliver of ice...poisoned it.**

“That doesn’t explain why Chiron and Argus are gone.” Gwen frowned. “Chapter’s over.” She added.

“I’ll take it.” Dakota offered. She gave him the book with a smile.


	5. I Get a New Cabin Mate

"You broke the oath again?!" Zeus roared at his brother.

"Or it means the Cyclops." Hades rolled his eyes. Zeus glared at him for the tone but said nothing further.

**Ever come...find anything?**

“I hate that.” Rachel said.

“It’s very annoying.” Annabeth agreed.

“Like, I know mom means well but I can never find anything.” Percy nodded.

**And even if...lemon furniture polish?**

“It’s more unnerving now I know about monsters.” Percy admitted.

“You think monsters would be looking through your room and cleaning it? We need some of those monsters.” Connor said. The Hermes cabin was notoriously messy with so many people crammed into it.

**That’s kind...Half-Blood again.**

“Yeah, that’s a pretty good way of describing it.” Annabeth said thoughtfully. She had never thought about it that way but it was appropriate.

**On the surface...different Olympian god.**

The Greeks all smiled at the description of their Camp.

“It does sound lovely.” Reyna smiled.  _ But so small _ she added in her mind. She still couldn’t believe how much smaller the Greek camp sounded.

**But there was...like ugly scars.**

Now the Greeks all grimaced, as did the Gods. This was supposed to be the only safe place for their children and now it didn’t seem safe at all.

“It seems we need some stronger magic to protect the camp.” Poseidon stated.

“Especially if Thalia is going to be somehow revived from being a tree.” Apollo added.

“I’m sure we can think of something.” Hephaestus said. Nico cringed. He would certainly  _ not _ feel safe with more of his work guarding the camp.

**Somebody had...of a couple.**

“You’ve actually been to military school?” Thalia asked. Percy shuffled uncomfortably.

“Yeah. Gabe’s idea. He thought it might teach me some discipline and to follow the rules better.” A few people scowled angrily or grumbled under their breath.

“Well, we can safely say they failed.” Thalia forced a grin onto her face as she teased her cousin.

**None of that...“What’s that!”**

“He reminds me of Nico.” Will laughed.

“Hey!”

“You were also adorably excited by everything.” The son of the Sun God smirked. Nico went red.

“Shut up.” He complained.

**“The cabins for...of sea stone.**

Percy and Poseidon both smiled fondly.

**“You live with...too unpredictable.**

“You most of all.” Connor said. 

“I’m not that unpredictable.” Percy frowned unhappily.

“Yeah, give him food and he’s a happy camper.” Annabeth snickered.

**When we got...she was twelve.**

“Hey! You make it sound like it was my fault.” Thalia said, turning to glare at him.

“Sorry. Bad phrasing.” Percy grinned sheepishly. She rolled her eyes but let it go.

**Me … well, I...plankton, maybe.**

“You had nightmares about that?” Poseidon asked his son in concern.

“More the dying part.” Percy admitted. “Although I can’t say I much fancy being turned into a pile of kelp.”

“It is not my place to keep you in the realm of the living.” Poseidon said sadly. “I would not wish you to die and would heal you if I could but otherwise...I would not turn you into anything.” Percy was a little surprised by the admission but quite grateful. Hades nodded approvingly.

“Thanks dad. I’d prefer it that way.” If he had to die then he would rather be in Elysium than be a tree. No offense to Grover or other Satyrs. Poseidon gave his son a strained smile. It was not a topic he wished to dwell on.

**Or a floating patch of kelp.**

Thalia couldn’t help giving a small chuckle.

**When we...Chiron is a centaur.**

“I wonder why this is in the book?” Athena frowned. “Obviously we know this.”

“No idea.” Hermes shrugged.

“The bigger question is why is Chiron packing his bags?” Apollo pointed out. The Greeks said nothing while the other Gods all shrugged, looking concerned.

**From the waist...in total rapture.**

Chiron sighed as the room erupted into muffled sniggers.

**Chiron turned...father to her.**

The Centaur smiled fondly over at Annabeth.

**Chiron ruffled...take the blame.**

“What?” Poseidon frowned.

“Chiron is the last person who would do anything to hurt camp.” Hermes raised an eyebrow.

“If anyone should take the blame, surely it should be Mr D. He has made it clear he hates the kids.” Chris pointed out. Dionysus looked offended at this while all the Gods turned to him.

“Dionysus wouldn’t dare.” Zeus rumbled.

“Neither would Chiron but he’s still taking the blame.” Annabeth pointed out angrily.

**Lord Zeus was...daughter, poisoned!**

“Oh yeah, it couldn’t be the enemy now could it?” Percy asked sarcastically. “But we’re ignoring Kronos so someone at Camp had to be blamed.” Zeus glared at him but Percy glared right back.

**Mr. D had to...I growled.**

“Exactly.” Percy agreed with himself.

“Surely as the director for the whole camp, it is Dionysus who should be held responsible for the failure to protect Thalia’s tree.” Hades questioned. Zeus glared at his brother but didn’t respond.

**Just the thought...trust me now,**

“How could you not trust Chiron?” Will asked the Gods angrily. “He has done nothing but train and protect your children for millennia.” 

“They didn’t trust him because his father is also Kronos.” Annabeth spoke up furiously.

“As he is yours.” Percy reminded Zeus. “And Uncle Hades’ father. Not to mention Hades has attacked Thalia before. There are so many people who would do such a thing and Chiron does not even make the list.”

“Enough, children.” Chiron said sternly, though his eyes held no small amount of pride.

“It’s wrong. Father forbade any mention of Kronos and yet he’s willing to let Mr D punish you for something you’d never do, simply for being his son.” Thalia said.

“There is nothing that can be done now.” The Centaur told her calmly. Still, he could not deny how much their defence of him and outrage on his behalf warmed his heart.

**under the circumstances.”...closer. “Pony?”**

There were a few laughs and a couple of smiles as the Greeks were torn between wanting to laugh at Tyson’s childish innocence and still being angry on Chiron’s behalf.

**Chiron sniffed...pits of Tartarus.”**

“And you don’t think  _ somebody _ would notice if Chiron were to procure this poison. He almost never leaves camp, except when he went to teach Percy.” Connor said coolly.

**“Then we know... that traitor.”**

Annabeth, Thalia, Hermes and the God’s children all went pale. Hermes was suddenly fearful that he would now be forced to take the blame for his son’s future actions. Especially something as serious as poisoning Zeus’ beloved daughter. 

Annabeth and Thalia both still struggled to deal with the fact that Luke would do something so terrible to someone he had once vowed to never harm. Even if he thought she would be brought back there was no guarantee it would work.

**“Perhaps,” Chiron...cannot cure it.**

“Apollo is the God of medicine. Why isn’t he trying to cure the tree?” Clarisse asked.

“I deal in human or godly medicine. Not nature magic.” Apollo pointed out.

“Oh yes, because Chiron frequently heals trees.” Silena frowned. “Maybe the Satyrs should be held accountable for not being able to cure the tree.” Grover sent her a wide-eyed look of horror. Wincing she sent an apologetic look in return. She hadn’t meant to blame him but all of the campers loved and respected Chiron. It angered them that he took the blame and then that Mr D had had the audacity to bring Tantalus to their camp.

**The tree has...act rashly.**

“It’s as though you’ve never met Percy before.” Rachel laughed. Chiron’s lips twitched.

“I wanted him to be safe.”

“I don’t think camp classifies as safe anymore anyway.” Grover pointed out.

**I told your...do not leave.”**

“If monsters are attacking more frequently all over the country then it is safer to be at camp where there are many demigods.” Clarisse said.

**“Why?” I asked...hasty action!**

“Hasty action could be bad but time isn’t on your side.” Athena pointed out.

**This could...wanted him around.**

The room burst into laughter as most of the tension dissolved. 

“I don’t think Kronos is coming back because he thinks people want him around.” Nico said with a chuckle.

**But no. Because...save her friends?**

Thalia sighed again. Even with Kronos twisting his mind, Luke didn’t have to do that. There were other ways to put the camp in danger but he had chosen to poison her tree. He had done that. He had spat on her memory, on their friendship.

**Annabeth was trying...“Just checking.”**

There were a few more sniggers.

**“Chiron …” Annabeth...you from camp—”**

The other Greek campers went very pale. They hadn’t even thought of that. In unison they all turned to glare, first at Dionysus and then at Zeus. 

“No.” Travis whispered. He could not imagine a camp without Chiron permanently. The idea that Chiron was no longer needed was ridiculous.

“It wasn’t even his fault.” Connor scowled.

“Can you imagine…” Silena said gravely though her voice trailed off, unable to voice the terrible thought.

“I’m quite fine, children.” Chiron reminded them all gently.

“You will always be needed.” Annabeth choked out.

“Always.” The other campers agreed. The Centaur went a little red but smiled fondly at all of his charges.

The Gods looked around at each other while Zeus and Hera were uneasy. On one hand it was pleasing to see the respect that Chiron had from the children but on the other hand, their loyalty to him was minorly worrying. If Chiron were ever to turn against them, how many of the children would follow him?

**“Swear you...I shall return.**

“Well, now you’ve said that I’m sure Percy and Annabeth will be very determined to make that happen.” Reyna smiled slightly.

“They did.” Chiron nodded.

“They had some help.” Clarisse grumbled.

“Indeed they did.” Chiron smiled.

**Until then...safety to Mr. D**

The Greeks all snorted.

“Awesome. Trust our safety to someone who probably could care less if we all died.” Beckendorf muttered.

**and the new activities director.**

“And he was even worse.” Percy snarled.

“Worse?” Poseidon asked warily. Given his son’s opinion of Dionysus, it was hard to imagine him thinking someone else was worse. The Greeks all nodded.

**We must hope...as I fear.”**

“The monsters or Mr D and Tantalus?” Will asked sarcastically.

“I meant Kronos’ forces.” Chiron clarified.

“Still, the statement applied to both.” Silena said grimly. The Gods were now all very concerned.

**“Who is this...forgotten you!”**

“I’m unforgettable.” Percy smirked.

“Definitely.” Hades nodded.

**With that...maybe for good.**

Chiron smiled once more and Percy grinned back.

**Tyson started...believe it.**

“Marks for trying.” Annabeth told him.

“And I lose them all for failing.” Percy said glumly.

  
“Tyson cheered up a little.” She reminded him and he shrugged.

**The sun was...lead the line.**

Athena smiled proudly at her daughter who sat up a little straighter.

**Next came Clarisse...YOU MOO, GIRL!**

“Who did that!” Clarisse demanded angrily. The Hermes kids all looked at each other and sniggered.

“Jake I think.” Connor said. “Not sure though, it was a while ago Clarisse.” She glared at him while Ares frowned at his daughter.

**But nobody...about it.**

Clarisse looked even angrier about that. Ares considered this. If her cabin mates would not have her back maybe she was not the right person to be leading his children. If she could not control her own brothers and sisters, how could she be a good army commander?

**After the Ares...African American kid.**

Hephaestus smiled at his son and Leo looked over at his half brother. So far he seemed like a really decent guy and he could see why his cabin mates liked him.

**He had hands...him Charlie**

“Not yet, anyway.” Travis said slyly, glancing over at Silena. Beckendorf went slightly red as Silena grinned widely.

**or Chuck...make anything.**

“He can.” Silena praised her boyfriend. Beckendorf went even redder.

“Not  _ anything _ .” 

“Yes. You are fantastic.” She told him sternly.

**Give him a...painfully of Grover.**

Grover grinned over at Percy.

**I’d always had...back to camp.**

It never ceased to surprise the Romans, hearing how useful Fauns could be. Reyna and Dakota began very quietly discussing some plans.

**That’s how I’d...Connor Stoll.**

Hermes smiled proudly and ruffled both of his children’s hair.

“I’m sure my cabin is in good hands.” Hermes said. Their chests puffed out with pride.

“The best.” Chris agreed. Having been in the cabin under both Luke and the Stolls, he could tell they were good co-leaders. The Stolls looked at their brother in surprise and grinned gratefully.

**They weren’t twins...was older.**

“That’s me.” Travis said. “But Connor is the louder one so people usually think he’s older.”

**They were...down your shirt.**

“That’s a great idea.” Connor grinned.

“No it’s not.” Annabeth told him firmly.

“Indeed it is not.” Chiron agreed. The Stolls nodded but exchanged smirks that had all the other campers worried.

**I’d always...get the joke.**

“We got it. We had just heard it a lot.” Travis rolled his eyes.

**As soon as...Apollo table murmured.**

Apollo frowned.

**I glared in...Whatever.”**

Poseidon glared at his nephew.

**He was wearing...the casinos.**

Many of the Greek campers sniggered loudly, too angry with Mr D to even attempt to muffle the laughter.

“How dare…”

“Hey, these are my private thoughts. It’s not like I said it to your face.” Percy reminded the God with an eye roll.

**Behind him...off-limits wood nymph.**

Zeus glared at his son while Hera glared at Zeus.

**Next to him...the same time.**

“You thought  _ he _ was a suitable replacement around children?” Demeter shrieked. “The man who was punished for trying to serve us his own son?”

“He  _ did  _ serve you his own son.” Ares sniggered. Demeter glared furiously at him.

“I agree with Demeter. Dionysus, you have clearly lost your mind and are completely unsuitable to be looking after children.” Poseidon glared at his nephew. “It is an insult to have  _ him _ of all people looking after our children...your children. Why on Olympus would you think someone who had been sent to Punishment by us would be a suitable person to have at Camp?” Dionysus didn’t answer.

“I must agree with Poseidon.” Zeus said heavily. It was one thing for his son to not particularly care about the children but to allow his daughter’s tree to be poisoned...that could not go unpunished. Annoyingly the brats were correct and as the director, Dionysus was the one who should take the blame.

“Father…” Dionysus pleaded. He didn’t particularly care about being removed from camp, besides that had been made clear during the last book. His bigger concern was what punishment would be in store for him now. His father had been threatening to turn him mortal. 

“We will discuss this later.” Zeus said firmly. 

**“This boy,”...me at length.**

Poseidon and Percy both glared at Dionysus. The Wine God sunk down into the couch he was sitting on. This was going to be a long book if it continued in this vein. He had no idea what his future self was thinking doing something so risky.

**“I am Tantalus,”...any more trouble.”**

The Greek campers all glared at the book.

“Good luck with that.” Reyna smiled. “I don’t think Percy is capable of not at least finding trouble even if he does not cause it.”

**“Trouble?” I...I understand.”**

“Percy stopped a  _ war _ last summer you…” Thalia stopped herself with a quick glance at her father.

“I always did wonder why he seemed to hate Percy so much.” Beckendorf frowned. “He singled him out from the first second.”

“Maybe he was working for Kronos. He certainly would have no love of the Gods.” Silena shrugged.

“Or Dionysus just told him that Percy was a troublemaker.” Nico suggested darkly.

“Dionysus.” Poseidon said threateningly.

“I don’t know. I haven’t done this yet.” The Wine God threw his hands up in exasperation.

**I was too...it will work.”**

“Oh, I get it. You just wanted to see someone else as miserable as you.” Apollo looked at his half brother and rolled his eyes.

**Tantalus grabbed...of the brazier.**

The demigods all chuckled darkly.

**“Blast!” Tantalus...fade eventually.”**

“No. It won’t. And you know that.” Hades raised an eyebrow.

“Indeed I do.” Dionysus smirked. At least someone else would suffer with him.

**“Eventually,” muttered...mildly impressed.**

“Impressed?” Hermes asked in astonishment.

“Hey, it had to be awful to earn him that kind of punishment.” Percy said.

“That’s probably the worst torture Percy can think of. Permanently looking at food and being unable to eat it.” Annabeth laughed.

**“What was it?”...already … sir.”**

“Indeed.” Reyna frowned. This did not sound promising.

“He must have noticed.” Chris said.

“He did. He just didn’t care.” Connor scowled.

**“Oh, go sit...overgrown brat.**

Dionysus scowled and made to open his mouth.

“Shut it, nephew. That’s exactly what you are currently acting like.” Poseidon stated. 

“He clearly gets his dramatics from his father.” Hades noted. Zeus glared while the two brothers high fived each other.

**I said, “Come on...do with it.”**

“Tyson is not an ‘it’.” Beckendorf snapped. It was bad enough the way Annabeth had been treating him but at least she had a reason. 

**“Him,” I snapped…this whole place.”**

“I’m quite sure they would both actually have liked that.” Frank said with a slight frown. 

“Indeed.” Aphrodite said angrily. Dionysus shrunk even further under yet more glares. He was desperately wishing this chapter would be over very soon.

**“Yes,” Tantalus...Dionysus snickered.**

“OK! I get it. Future me is terrible.” Dionysus said this a little sarcastically. “But I haven’t done it yet so please stop glaring at me.”

“Not until you actually seem sorry, nephew.” Poseidon’s glare actually increased. The Wine God subsided and sank back down to sulk.

**“Leave us,”...sleep tonight.”**

“You’re a good friend.” Piper smiled at Percy. He grimaced. 

**Tyson nodded...wasn’t hungry.**

A few people gave Percy understanding looks. The whole day had been one heck of a shock for him and his impressive appetite.

**I’d been...anything about it.**

“For your own safety.” Chiron sighed.

“Camp really wasn’t any safer, especially as Tantalus had it out for me from the beginning.” Percy shrugged.

**I didn’t feel...silently. Please.**

“I already did.” Poseidon smiled.

“Yeah, I just didn’t know it yet.” Percy smiled at his father while his insides squirmed with guilt.

**The smoke...was really listening.**

“I’m always listening.” Poseidon stated. “Or at least, I’m certain my future self is.”

“You were.” Percy assured his father.

**I went...am told.”**

There were a few sniggers at this.

**As he spoke...enough to eat.”**

The Gods all glared at Dionysus once more for allowing this.

“Hey, I may be the director but father sure hasn’t done anything about my appointment.” The Wine God pointed out. 

“Maybe he didn’t notice.” Apollo snorted softly. Zeus turned to glare at his son but Apollo glared right back.

**Dionysus clapped...the chariot races!”**

Ares grinned wildly while Chiron shook his head.

“Weren’t those band because people died?” Chris asked tentatively.

“Yes.” The Centaur said tightly. 

“Which was what he was hoping for I’m sure.” Beckendorf scowled. Hades narrowed his eyes. It seems he would be having some words with Tantalus once he got back to the Underworld.

**Murmuring broke...technical problems.”**

“Technical problems?” Demeter asked angrily. 

**“Three deaths...which they win?”**

“And with such a reward he has now made what was an already dangerous sport, super competitive.” Hermes frowned.

**An explosion...ready our chariots—”**

Ares and Chiron both nodded proudly at the girl and she puffed up with pride.

“He won’t care.” Chris guessed.

**“Ah, the hero...bronze bulls!”**

“No she did not.” Poseidon scowled. Without his sons they would have been killed.

“I know, Lord Poseidon.” Clarisse said, all pride gone. “Tantalus made me his favourite and I couldn’t do any wrong in his eyes.” The Gods all gave her a slightly disgusted look. Anyone who was a favourite of Tantalus was not welcome in their eyes.

“Hey! She didn’t ask to be made his favourite.” Percy pointed out.

“Yeah, she might have been insufferable about it, but she didn’t ask for it.” Travis spoke up. Clarisse shot him an odd look that seemed to be part annoyance and part gratitude.

**Clarisse blinked...ourselves, yes?”**

“No. They are there to survive.” Artemis stated.

**“But the tree—”...kill Tantalus.**

“Don’t we all.” Thalia said through gritted teeth.

“Yes.” The Greek campers all chorused.

**“Now, of course,”...small brain capacity.**

“You have no brain capacity.” Beckendorf grunted angrily.

**Under normal...the tablecloth.**

The Stolls looked slightly ashamed.

“Don’t worry. I knew why you didn’t want Tyson in your cabin.” Percy smiled at them. They grinned back at him in relief.

**I couldn’t blame...Cyclops.**

Hermes winced at the idea of his kids being so cramped.

**“Come now,”...should be kenneled?”**

Beckendorf and Poseidon scowled furiously. 

“Brother.” Poseidon said through gritted teeth. Hades nodded sharply. He already had plans.

**Suddenly everybody...as his son.**

“You actually claimed a Cyclops?” Aphrodite blinked in surprise. 

“I suspect I made sure Tyson and Percy met and so I would want them to stay together.” Poseidon shrugged.

**There was a...roared with laughter.**

Poseidon ground his teeth together in frustration. This was going to be a  _ very _ long book. He actually was wanting Percy to sneak off. At least, despite how unpleasant it was, hearing about his son in danger, he knew Percy survived. Listening to this scum talk to his children like this, without Dionysus stepping in, was grating on his nerves which were already wearing very thin with his nephew.

**“Well! I think...my other friends.**

Clarisse, Silena and the Stolls all went red.

“Sorry Perc.” The Stolls said together. They went even redder seeing a disappointed look being shot in their direction by their father.

“Sorry, Percy.” Silena gave him an apologetic smile. 

“It’s fine guys.” Percy said stiffly. Thalia glared at the four culprits.

**Tyson didn’t...his head.**

There were a few snickers but the atmosphere was too tense so they didn’t last long.

**He was too...a half-brother.**

Poseidon’s brow creased a little. It didn’t sound like Percy was very happy. In fact his son appeared to be shrinking in his seat.

“The chapter is over.” Dakota announced. 

“I think Dionysus should read the next chapter.” Poseidon stated firmly. The Wine God opened his mouth to argue but saw the expression on his uncle’s face and simply took the book from his son.

“I feel we should take a quick break to stretch our legs after the next chapter.” Chiron announced. Everybody nodded their agreement and Dionysus started reading in a long suffering tone.


	6. Demon Pigeons Attack

There was a round of laughter at this title.

“Ah Percy. You know how to break the tension, even without meaning to.” Nico laughed. The Campers who had been there all glared at Dionysus.

**The next...won the lottery.**

“Awww.” Gwen smiled. He might be a Cyclops but he sounded like an adorable little kid.

**“Aw, Tyson,”...I said it.**

“What?” Nico frowned. “You love Tyson.”

“Yeah.” Percy sighed. “But Camp was hard enough that summer without getting mocked and shunned by people for having a Cyclops brother.” He explained. “Plus, Tyson was kind of exhausting before he grew up a little.” Poseidon frowned. “I’m not proud of it.” Percy added.

**My father...the result.**

Poseidon shuffled in his seat in embarrassment.

**I mean, I’d...the next bunk.**

“Tyson is far from the worst family on your dad’s side.” Thalia smirked.

“Don’t I know it.” Percy grimaced, thinking of Antaeus, who he had fought in the Labyrinth, and Polyphemus. Those were just the ones off the top of his head.

**And then there...for a brother.**

Poseidon glared at the other campers who looked a little ashamed. Tyson had helped save their camp at least twice.

**“He’s not...or something.”**

“Percy.” Poseidon frowned.

“I know. It was mean of me but I was thirteen and it was still kind of a shock to me too. I love Tyson, we just got off to a rocky start.”

**Nobody bought it...now a joke.**

Poseidon raised an eyebrow but Percy just cringed. The other campers all exchanged looks.

**Annabeth tried...with the races.**

Chiron nodded. “If only that had lasted.” He said.

“Honestly, it was for the best if Percy didn’t stay given how horrible Tantalus was too him.” Annabeth pointed out.

**After all...that track.**

Clarisse scoffed. The other campers all glared at her and she frowned.

**One morning...sorry, eyes.”**

Aphrodite frowned at Silena. 

“It wasn’t me.” Silena protested. “But I didn’t stop them.” She added guiltily. “Sorry Percy.”

**As they walked...monster, either!”**

“Technically he is both.” Jason said.

“Yes. I know.” Percy said shortly.

**Annabeth raised...deceitful, treacherous—”**

“Excuse me?” Poseidon asked.

“Until I met Tyson, I’d only ever had bad experiences with Cyclopes.” Annabeth explained.

“Tyson could never be deceitful.” Beckendorf said.

**“He is not!...“He saved my life.”**

“You’re not exactly being nice to him either.” Piper pointed out.

“I was saying it to other campers because I was frustrated. Which does make me a bit two faced but I wasn’t mean directly to Tyson.” Percy sighed. “I still cared about him as my friend.”

**Annabeth threw down...“Maybe I should.”**

A few of the campers groaned playfully.

“So it was your fault Annabeth.” Beckendorf muttered.

“Yeah, you gave them the idea to work together.” Will complained. Percy smirked.

**“Fine!”...on a pegasus.**

Percy and Silena grinned at each other while the Romans looked very jealous.

**She explained...neutral territory.**

“Pretty much.” Poseidon nodded. Zeus grunted in annoyance but couldn’t argue.

**I could...too,**

Everybody snickered.

“Chicken ponies.” Leo smirked. “Tyson is hilarious. It must be a son of Poseidon thing to have the most hilarious descriptions.”

**but the pegasi...made Tyson cry.**

“Poor Tyson.” Silena frowned.

**The only...Hephaestus cabin.**

Leo smiled at his half-brother and Hephaestus nodded to his son proudly.

“Tyson’s a good guy.” Beckendorf shrugged. “And as he had been claimed by a God he deserved the respect of one of us.”

“Thank you.” Poseidon said happily.

**The blacksmith...in no time.**

“You did great. That shield he made me was awesome.” Percy grinned.

**After lunch...me to Luke.**

The campers all winced. 

**I thrashed the Apollo guys easily.**

Will sighed and Apollo frowned.

“Sword fighting just isn’t really our thing.” Will admitted.

“I know. Just as you’d thrash me at archery if I bothered anymore.” Percy smiled.

**I should’ve...and her siblings,**

“You don’t need to get along to practise with them.” Ares commented.

“We would have happily pulverised him if he’d asked.” Clarisse shrugged.

**and after...to see her.**

Annabeth frowned slightly.

**I went to...Chiron teaching.**

“Why did you even bother?” Hermes asked with a small smile.

“I figured Tantalus or Mr D would have been quite happy to punish me if I skipped lessons.” Percy shrugged.

**In arts and...our free times.**

The Gods glared at Dionysus before nodding in approval. The Romans were also impressed.

“You shouldn’t have to protect your camp in secret.” Reyna frowned.

“True but better than not defending it at all.” Connor pointed out.

**I sat at the...tree’s roots.**

Zeus scowled and Thalia grimaced.

**The longer...number-one servant.**

Hermes and his kids all winced.

**I opened the...part of it.**

“I don’t want to be part of your idea of a golden age.” Percy muttered angrily.

“Thank goodness for that.” Nico muttered. They all knew that if Percy had joined Kronos they wouldn’t stand a chance.

**At night...likes sheep.**

“‘It’s here’?” Jason frowned. “Didn’t Chiron mention that something could help?”

“He did. You think Grover accidentally found the one thing they need to save camp?” Piper asked. “That’s pretty convenient.”

“Convenient is  _ not  _ the word I would use.” Grover stated.

**I thought...I was crazy.**

Annabeth grimaced knowing that was very true. She hadn’t believed Percy when he told her about Grover despite knowing he wouldn’t lie about his best friend being in danger.

**The night...on the front.**

Poseidon smiled proudly.

**After all that...I’m not mad.”**

“You’re a terrible liar.” Thalia snorted.

“Well, I wasn’t mad at him.” Percy shrugged.

**He lay down...to be mad.”**

“Awww.” Silena cooed. 

“Poor Tyson.” Beckendorf frowned.

**I didn’t know...understand why.”**

“Or I knew you both needed each other.” Poseidon said gently.

  
“We did. It just took me awhile to realise that.” Percy admitted.

**I heard a...was snoring.**

Everybody chuckled.

**I sighed...wedding dress.**

There were a few snickers around the room and Grover buried his face in his hands.

**It didn’t fit...“Can you hear me?”**

“He can see you in your dream?” Gwen asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Grover created a link with me that allowed that to happen.” Percy told her.

**My dream-self...few more days!”**

“A monster actually wants to marry you?” Reyna raised an eyebrow. Grover shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

“Pretty much.” He admitted.

**“Bah! Hasn’t...but hurry!**

“It bought that?” Travis asked with a laugh.

“Maths wasn’t his strongest area.” Grover smirked. 

“Thank goodness.” Annabeth said.

**I want to...and turned left.”**

“Oh well, it should be easy to find you.” Chris said.

**“What?...great god Pan!**

Dionysus and Hermes both glared at the book. Whatever this was, was stopping Satyr’s finding their friend and son.

**The satyrs come...by Polyphemus!”**

Poseidon sighed sadly while the other two Gods turned their glare onto him.

**“Poly-who?”...goat-scented perfume.**

Goat scented perfume?” Leo asked through his laughter.

“Cyclopes eat Satyrs. If he knew what I was he would be dead.” Grover snapped, his face going a little red out of embarrassment.

**Thank goodness...to marry me!”**

Everyone except Grover burst out laughing. Percy hadn’t dared last time because Grover had been in danger but knowing he survived meant he could now see the funny side.

**Under different...with fear.**

That dampened most of the laughter but there were a few chuckles throughout the room.

**“I’ll come rescue...of course!”**

“Of course.” Leo said sarcastically.

“It is where he lived in the stories.” Annabeth shrugged.

**“The sea of what?”...I’ll die too.”**

“What?” Poseidon shouted. “You connected your life to my son when your life was in such danger?”

“It was the only way for me to get a message to him.” Grover said quietly.

“It was a great risk.” The Sea God growled angrily.

“Dad. It’s ok. Clearly, I didn’t die and it’s proven very useful.” Percy said. The God looked at his son and subsided a little.

**“Oh, well, perhaps...Don’t let me die!”**

“Good job you took that taxi.” Thalia noted.

**The dream faded...submarine radar.**

The Greek campers who had been there all winced.

**The racetrack...for a week!**

“I’m surprised he didn’t outright say people would be rewarded for killing others.” Connor muttered.

“I’m more surprised Mr D didn’t show just to watch all the injuries that were likely to take place.” Travis shrugged. 

**Now ready...loaded Maserati.**

Beckendorf smirked while Leo whistled.

**The Ares chariot...of other nasty toys.**

Ares nodded approvingly while Clarisse looked smug.

“Obviously my children will win.” The God boasted.

“Na. They can’t compete with some good old fashioned trickery.” Hermes stated confidently. 

“I have full confidence in Percy and Tyson.” Poseidon put in.

“I believe Athena’s daughter will triumph.” Artemis stated and Athena nodded proudly.

“Of course.” She agreed. The campers all exchanged looks but nobody corrected their parents.

**Apollo’s chariot...opposing drivers.**

“I’d prefer the regular arrows.” Chris muttered.

“I know.” Will smirked.

**Hermes’s chariot...they’d schemed up.**

The Stolls smirked and Hermes ruffled their hair.

“I can imagine.” Chris laughed.

“We had some pretty fun ideas.” Connor nodded.

**That left two...again, suspicious.**

“You don’t believe him?” Thalia asked in astonishment.

“I thought he wanted to distract me from the race.” Annabeth said.

“By pretending his friend is in danger? Percy would never.” Nico rolled his eyes.

“I know.” Annabeth sighed.

**“You’re trying...save the camp.”**

“I mean, she’s got a point about that being suspicious.” Silena nodded.

“But Percy would never make that up.” Rachel stated.

“And I’m guessing he doesn’t even know what it is that could save camp.” Thalia pointed out.

**“What do you...were dreaming.”**

“Oh thanks.” Grover muttered sarcastically. “Glad you have faith in my abilities.”

“And why would Percy even know what an empathy link is? He wouldn’t just dream about something like that.” Will added.

**“The Oracle,”...the Oracle.”**

“You’d need permission from Dionysus.” Poseidon glared at the Wine God.

**Annabeth frowned...than regular birds.**

“Them?” Apollo scowled.

“That’s a lot to have made it to camp.” Hermes pointed out.

“The boundary is obviously getting worse.” Artemis said in concern.

**Tyson was having...Not trusted!**

“I can’t even imagine Tyson eating a horse.” Beckendorf frowned.

“He wouldn’t.” Percy agreed.

**I’ll give you...the apples?**

“Nice.” Hermes smiled.

“Horses and Pegasi are easily bribable.” Percy grinned.

**Finally they...than skateboarding.**

“Boys.” Rachel muttered.

“It is great fun.” Annabeth grinned.

“The best.” Clarisse agreed.

**I took the reins...concentrate on driving.”**

“You’re planning a clean game?” Hermes raised an eyebrow.

“Against Hermes’ kids not to mention Ares’ lot and Hephaestus’.” Apollo looked at him in surprise.

“I didn’t need to give Tantalus any excuses to pick on me.” Percy shrugged. “Not that it mattered.” He added bitterly.

**“We will win.’”...and name-calling?**

The Greek campers shot him apologetic looks.

**As the chariots...look concerned,**

“That concerns me more.” Reyna murmured to Gwen who nodded.

**but he did...maybe by mistake,**

“Oi!” Apollo complained.

“Definitely no mistake.” Hermes smirked. “Good lads.”

“Sorry dad.” Will sighed.

“No worries. Just do better next time.” The God clapped his son on the shoulder.

**maybe not...horses in the dust.**

“Ha!” Apollo cheered. “If they take you out, take them with you. Nice work.” Will grinned.

“Really boys?” Hermes groaned good naturedly. The Stolls looked sheepish.

**Two chariots...toward our wheels.**

“Yeah. I’m sure you were sorry.” Percy laughed. Beckendorf shrugged but his smirk indicated he wasn’t.

**They would’ve...pulled ahead.**

Hephaestus grunted his disapproval while Poseidon grinned.

**“Nice work...just pigeons.**

“I wish.” Percy sighed.

“Please tell me you have your weapon with you?” Poseidon asked.

“Of course.” Percy nodded.

**I tried to...Beckendorf was mobbed.**

Hephaestus grimaced.

**His fighter tried...the distraction.**

“They are undead.” Hades pointed out.

“That’s my girl.” Ares nodded.

**The pigeons pecked...drive them away!”**

“Loud music?” Thalia suggested.

**“Tyson,” I said...the general chaos.**

“Nope. Couldn’t hear a thing.” Will confirmed.

“Still, it was the obvious thing to do.” Connor said.

“Unless you’re Clarisse.” Travis scowled.

**I held my reins...safe to shoot.**

“I have faith in you guys.” Apollo told Will.

**“Too many!”...Chiron’s collection!”**

“Excuse me?” The Centaur looked mildly offended.

“Your music was the closest.” Percy grinned innocently.

**I understood...problem was.**

“Really? You didn’t even notice?” Reyna looked at Clarisse with disapproval. She shrugged but made no response.

**When she saw...I could find,**

Chiron raised an eyebrow.

**Annabeth snatched...Not to worry.’”**

“What?” The Gods all looked horrified except Dionysus who was growing more concerned.

“Why are you guys surprised?” Thalia asked.

“He already expressed that he doesn’t care if camp is attacked.” Chris pointed out.

**We pulled up...moaning in Italian.**

“Young people have no taste.” Chiron sighed.

**The demon...arrows at once.**

Apollo smiled.

**Within minutes...clothes pooped on.**

“Oh. How awful.” Aphrodite wrinkled her nose. Piper rolled her eyes.

“If that’s the worst they got they can be happy.” She snorted. Aphrodite looked horrified that her daughter did not consider ruined hair and bird poop on clothes a disaster.

**“Bravo!”...stunned-looking Clarisse.**

“Told you my daughter would win.” Ares said proudly.

“Only because everyone else was actually defending their camp.” Hephaestus scoffed. 

**Then he turned...disrupted this race.”**

“The monsters disrupted the race you…” Poseidon scowled furiously.

“Chapter’s done.” Dionysus said quietly.

“And  _ you _ ! Where were you when all of this was going on?” Apollo asked.

“In bed.” Silena stated in annoyance. 

“Not that he would have been any help if he’d be awake.” Connor scoffed.

“I think we should take a break.” Chiron said quickly.

“Agreed.” Poseidon stated. “I need a word with my nephew.” The room then dispersed.

“Hey, you up for some archery training?” Apollo asked Percy. Percy looked into the earnest face of the God and bit back a groan.

“Yeah ok.” The blinding grin he received made his answer worth it.


	7. I Accept Gifts From A Stranger

Poseidon grabbed Dionysus and left the room. Several other Gods followed, some wanting to have a few words as well and the others just wanting to watch. Chiron herded the children out of the room and towards the dining hall. Apollo then took Percy towards the archery range.

Percy picked up the bow and got into the same stance he had been shown the day before. Apollo made a few minor adjustments. His hands were really hot and Percy could feel his skin burning and tingling everywhere that Apollo touched him. It was quite distracting.

“There. Now, take aim.” The God said. Percy did so. Apollo made a couple more minor adjustments and then Percy let the arrow fly. It did hit the edge of the target. “See, you’re already much better.”

“Only when you pretty much do the aiming for me.” Percy muttered.

“Still, you haven’t shot me once.” Apollo grinned cheerfully.

“It is tempting.” Percy smirked. “I might but if I actually tried I’d probably miss.” 

“You wouldn’t. I’m too amazing.”

“You wish.”

“I am.”

“Not.” Apollo dived towards him and they began wrestling with the God trying to make him admit that he was amazing. However he was used to having Godly strength whereas now they were pretty evenly matched. Eventually Apollo got him in a headlock.

“Now, admit I am amazing.”

“Alright. You are amazing.” Percy said. Apollo beamed and let him up. “Amazingly stupid to believe I meant that.” With that, he ran off towards the dining hall.

“Hey!” Apollo yelled and began chasing after him. They thundered into the dining hall, making everyone look up at them.

“What’s going on?” WIll asked, glancing between his father and Percy from his seat next to Nico.

“Percy won’t admit that I’m amazing.” Apollo whined. 

“I don’t blame him. You’re not.” Hades said easily. Apollo pouted and flopped down on the free side of his son.

“You think I’m great, right?”

“Of course dad.” Will told him, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. It was quite weird to see his dad, who was a few thousand years old, acting like a five year old. Apollo grinned and threw an arm around Will’s shoulders.

“Come on, let’s get back and continue reading.” Chiron suggested. Percy grabbed some food to take with him as he hadn’t gotten to eat anything. They made their way back to the throne room where the rest of the Gods were already waiting. Dionysus looked sullen while the others looked angry. 

“I will read.” Demeter said, grabbing the book.

**I Accept Gifts From A Stranger**

“Er, Percy, that didn ‘t end too well last time.” Poseidon frowned.

“These gifts were good.” Percy assured his dad. “And it wasn’t a  _ complete _ stranger.”

“You’d never met them before.” Annabeth pointed out.

“I still knew who it was. Eventually.” Percy grinned.

**The way Tantalus...chariot driving.**

“What?” Jason raised an eyebrow.

“What the heck did Dionysus say to make him hate Percy so much?” Piper asked.

“Maybe it’s that Percy saved Olympus last summer. Given how much he seems to want the Camp’s destruction he probably also is mad that Percy saved Olympus.” Jason guessed.

“I still don’t get how the Gods let him stay at Camp.” Leo frowned. 

“Because they probably don’t care enough to even realise what’s going on.” Chris said. All the Gods grimaced.

**This was...his mood.**

“There’s the Percy we all know and love.” Thalia laughed.

**He sentenced...Clarisse’s chariot victory**

Ares grinned proudly. Clarisse also looked a little proud but somewhat annoyed. There had been whispers for ages about how winning was more important to her than protecting camp. No one had dared say it too loudly because they didn’t want to upset Tantalus’ favourite and it was that particular title that upset her the most.

**a full-course...to believe me.**

“Only starting to believe him?” Nico frowned.

“It just seemed so unlikely.” Annabeth pointed out.

“All the more reason to believe him. Percy wouldn’t make that up.” Connor said.

“I know that now.” She nodded.

**“If he’s really...“Messy?”**

Everybody burst out into surprised laughter.

“He’s not wrong.” Hermes snickered.

**She sighed...clay skeletons.”**

“That is a good movie.” Piper nodded.

**Annabeth rolled...important to her.”**

More laughter.

“He’s got a point.” Silena said.

**“The point is...Thalia’s tree.”**

Zeus brightened a bit at this news like he had forgotten his daughter was in the same room.

**Annabeth nodded...the same time.**

“Well that sounds like a trap.” Reyna noted.

“Yeah. Trap is written all over that.” Dakota agreed.

“They don’t have a choice.” Jason said firmly. They needed to cure his sister.

**It’s perfect!”...in the lava.**

A few people smiled at this.

**“Percy,” she...the Cyclopes.**

Poseidon grimaced. He did not want to hear about his children fighting each other.

**And there’s...power shifts.”**

“So, Bermuda triangle?” Piper guessed.

“Yep.” Travis nodded.

**“Like Mount...“The Bermuda Triangle?”**

Piper grinned proudly.

**“Exactly”...can it be?”**

All of the demigods groaned.

“Did you really just ask that?” Thalia asked him.

“You really should know better.” Rachel said.

“Yeah.” Percy sighed. It was a stupid question.

**Annabeth knit...camp will hear.**

“Good plan.” Apollo smiled.

**They’ll pressure...the sing-along.**

The God clapped Will on the shoulder, grinning proudly.

**They tried to...than this.**

“Well maybe you shouldn’t have fired him then.” Connor snapped.

**Then he gave...into the flames.**

“Marshmallow suicide.” Leo sniggered.

“If only he’d jumped after it.” Beckendorf muttered darkly.

**Tantalus turned...coming from her.**

“Of course it did.” Annabeth smirked.

“You tend to ramble when you’re nervous.” Grover told Percy.

**“The Fleece...need saving.”**

The Romans and the Gods stared at the book in astonishment. They couldn’t believe he was still acting like everything was completely fine.

“How did he expect anyone to buy that?” Reyna frowned.

“My guess is that he just didn’t care.” Gwen muttered.

**Everybody stared...in social studies.”**

Poseidon grinned proudly.

“You paid attention in school?” Nico asked with a grin.

“No, I think he just knew and made up the school part so it sounded more convincing.” Grover said. Percy grinned but didn’t respond.

**Even Annabeth...Tantalus insisted.**

“Really? He still won’t allow a quest?” Chris raised an eyebrow.

“He did eventually.” Annabeth sighed.

**“Fine!” Tantalus...would stop me.**

“Somehow I doubt he’s going to let you go.” Jason said.

“Yeah, he knows that’s what you want. He’ll pick his favourite.” Piper nodded. Percy grimaced.

**“I will allow...chariot races**

“She wasn’t resourceful. Everybody else stopped to protect the camp and she had a clear run.” Dakota pointed out, easily guessing who Tantalus was talking about.

**and courageous...the quest!”**

Ares nodded proudly.

**“Wait!” I shouted...came to me.”**

“You already had a quest.” Ares told him.

“I didn’t care about the opportunity for a quest. I wanted to save my friend.” Percy glared at him.

**“Sit down!”...another said.**

“Or it’s his friend in trouble, plus Percy and Annabeth were the ones who figured everything out  _ and _ convinced Tantalus to give a quest.” Thalia glared at Clarisse.

“Exactly. Percy did his bit.” Clarisse glared right back. “Someone else should have had a chance.”

**Clarisse glared...throwing marshmallows.**

“Food fight!” Grover grinned.

“A dam food fight.” Percy smirked. Grover and Thalia both burst out laughing.

**I thought it...I’d ever faced.**

“And he’s supposed to be looking after our children.” Aphrodite’s brow furrowed.

“This will not be happening in the future.” Poseidon stated firmly, glaring at Dionysus.

**“Once upon...about himself.**

“He usually does.” Hephaestus grunted.

**“This king,” he...in the stew?”**

Demeter grimaced.

**No one dared...rebellious children.**

“Zeus! This is where non interference gets us.” Poseidon scowled at his brother.

“This is where letting Dionysus choose a new activities director gets us.” Apollo corrected.

“And he would not have been allowed to get away with such a choice if we were watching properly.” Demeter added angrily.

“Camp is supposed to be the only safe place for our children. Now, not only is the magic failing, there is someone inside the camp who actively wants to take out his revenge on our children.” Aphrodite said. Zeus said nothing.

**And so …pet. “Sir—”**

“Who would?” Leo asked.

**“Go!” he snarled...me again.**

“Good.” Poseidon nodded.

**“Good,” Tantalus said...come to that.**

“Well, would you look at that. I’m still at Camp.” Percy said to Grover quietly.

“Somehow.” Grover replied with a grin.

**The harpies will...he asked.**

“Of course he will. He’s Percy and his friend is in danger.” Thalia scoffed.

“I almost didn’t.” Percy admitted.

**“I don’t know,”...delicate little pieces.**

“That is weird but it’s part of being a Cyclopes.” Beckendorf shrugged.

**“What are you...likes you. Really.”**

“Clearly.” Nico said sarcastically.

“I do like Tyson now.” Annabeth said.

**He had tears...the same ability.**

“No.” Grover said. “It’s a Satyr thing.”

**Tyson folded...been born.”**

Poseidon sighed sadly. “He doesn’t still think that, does he?” He asked Percy nervously.

“No.” Percy smiled. “He’s had loads of fun in the forges.”

**“Don’t talk...cared for him?**

Poseidon winced. His monstrous children usually were quite happy to make their own way in the world. Evidently Tyson was quite different in that respect. He would have to make sure he did better in the future.

**What kind...was a monster?**

Poseidon explained his previous thoughts to Percy.

“Still, Tyson said he prayed to you and you were clearly watching out enough to send him to meet me.” Percy frowned. 

“I know. I have no good explanation for my future actions.” The God said.

**“Tyson … camp...already asleep.**

There were a few snickers.

“I really do envy his ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat.” Will said.

**I lay back...wake up?**

“I’m sorry Percy.” Grover looked horrified that he had worried Percy so much he didn’t want to sleep.

**The full moon...from Tantalus.**

“Thanks for the faith.” Clarisse snorted.

“Need I remind you of your prophecy?” Percy raised an eyebrow. She glared at him angrily but didn’t argue.

**I got out...nearest convenience store.**

Chiron looked over at the Hermes kids who all pulled identical innocent faces. The Centaur snorted in amusement while the God high fived his children.

**Sneaking out...the ocean.**

Poseidon smiled.

**I always felt...hyperactive brain.**

“What?” Rachel looked at him in confusion.

“I’m weird.” Percy shrugged.

**I tried to...spewed soda.**

There was a round of laughter.

**Standing right...sly smile.**

Everyone turned to look at Hermes. The God raised an eyebrow in surprise but inwardly he was quite pleased.

“Why would you be visiting a demigod?” Zeus asked angrily.

“Don’t know. I haven’t done it yet.” Hermes shrugged. Then he spotted the looks on his kid’s faces. Connor and Travis exchanged looks. They hadn’t heard this bit. Their dad had come to camp and didn’t even bother to stop in and say hi. Instead he visited Percy.

**He looked kind...figure out why.**

“Yes. I know now.” Percy said before anyone could speak.

**My first thought...to slip in.**

“That is actually a good point. If monsters could get in, could mortals?” Thalia frowned.

“I’m not sure but probably.” Chiron answered.

**But in the...to be afraid.**

“Percy.” Chiron raised an eyebrow while Hermes smiled at the demigod.

“He looked familiar and it was a good job I didn’t run away.” Percy grinned sheepishly.

“He could have been a monster.” Poseidon said. Hermes huffed.

  
“You think he would confuse  _ me  _ with a monster?” 

“Seems like quite a reasonable mistake.” Apollo smirked.

**I said, “Uh, sure.”...his pocket.**

Hermes sighed.

“Not only are you visiting a demigod, you’re wasting time sitting around.” Zeus grew even angrier.

**The jogger sighed...I gotta go.”**

“Always so helpful, brother.” Dionysus smirked.

“He should have had a tracking number.” Hermes shrugged. “Happens all the time.”

**He hung up...George and Martha.”**

“Hello, George and Martha.” A hissing voice could suddenly be heard.

“I see George doesn’t change much.” Percy grinned.

“Oh good, he still does that in the future.” Hermes said sarcastically.

“Hi, George. Hi Martha.” Percy said.

“Does the nice boy bring rats?” George asked.

“No. Sorry. I’ll try and find some for later.” Percy promised.

“Never any rats.” George hissed sadly.

“Shut up about rats.” Martha said.

“But rats are nice.” George replied.

“I think that’s enough from you two.” Hermes said. They both shut up.

**Hello...my head.**

A few people chuckled.

**Don’t be sarcastic...“Uh, I like Hercules.”**

Artemis scoffed. Of course the boy would like that one. Percy and Thalia both grimaced.

**“Why?”...feel better.”**

“There is that.” Percy nodded. “But the Huntress is my favourite now.” Thalia, Grover and Annabeth all nodded solemnly.

“There is no such constellation.” Artemis stated.

“Not yet.” Percy said quietly in a sad tone.

**The jogger chuckled...“No.”**

Artemis raised a delicate eyebrow. Even in this, the boy was different from others.

**“You’re an...leave a message.”**

“Hermes!” Demeter yelled angrily.

“I was busy. It must be important for me to be visiting Percy.” Hermes rolled his eyes.

**She’s not going...you, exactly?”**

“You hadn’t guessed yet?” Thalia looked amused.

“I had a lot on my mind.” Percy shrugged.

**“Haven’t you...“Hermes.”**

Hermes winced.

“Not how I’m usually introduced.”

“Sorry.” Percy said. “I just realised why I recognised your face.”

**The god pursed...Does too!**

Hermes rolled his eyes while the demigods all laughed.

**“Behave, you two,”...mere baby, really.”**

“Oh here he goes.” Now Apollo rolled his eyes. Hermes smirked at his brother.

**Here we go...I asked.**

“He should have been.” Apollo grumbled.

“You know you can’t blast me to pieces.” Hermes grinned.

**“Hmm … no...being angry.”**

“I did not  _ forget _ .” 

“Yeah you did.”

“Well now you’ve reminded me.”

“Please read.” Ares begged Demeter.

**“So what’s...have a moral?”**

“Maybe he meant was there actually a point to that story.” Hades drawled.

“Of course there was a point.” Hermes huffed.

**“Um …”...like that moral.”**

“Probably not.” Annabeth laughed.

**Rats are delicious...punishment. How’s that?”**

“You’re persuading my son to go off and risk his life again without permission? When Chiron told him explicitly to stay in camp?” Poseidon glared.

“He was going to go anyway.” Hermes protested.

  
“Possibly not.”

“Dad, it was a good job I did go.” Percy said.

**“You’re saying...The first season.”**

“Good show.” Ares nodded.

**“Hercules Busts Heads?”...George added.**

There were a few snickers.

**I’ll get you...I said.**

“Nice.” Hermes said, raising his eyebrows. “I didn’t think of that.”

“I’m guessing it does something else then.” Thalia asked. Hermes nodded.

**Hermes looked...be careful.**

“Yes. Percy’s the epitome of careful.” Nico sniggered.

**And now my...chewable vitamins.**

Percy shuddered while Annabeth tried to stifle a laugh.

“You ok?” Thalia asked in surprise.

“Bad memories.” Percy grimaced.

“From vitamins?”

“Kind of. I’m sure you’ll read all about it.”

**“You’re kidding,”...they hydras?**

“You can’t tell the difference between a Fury and a Hydra?” Hades asked his nephew.

“They aren’t very clear shapes.” Hermes shrugged.

**At any rate...yourself again.”**

Percy grimaced again. Reyna’s eyes suddenly went wide. Given the timing and where they were going she knew exactly what those vitamins could do. She glared at the book. Those vitamins had been the reason her home had been destroyed. While she didn’t regret going to Camp Jupiter it had been a horrifying experience.

**He tossed me...friend Grover.”**

A few of the Gods sent Hermes sympathetic looks while Zeus looked angry.

**I stared at...you especially.”**

The God blinked slowly. Even having read Luke’s speech in the last book, it hurt to hear it put so bluntly. Chris edged away from his father a little, feeling hurt. His father broke the rules to convince Percy to go and try to save Luke but probably didn’t even realise that he had defected too. He didn’t send anyone to try and change his mind, only Luke’s. 

The Stolls noticed and exchanged looks. Connor slung an arm around his dad’s shoulders while Travis moved to do the same with Chris.

**Hermes gazed...make it.**

Chris bit back a retort and Travis tightened his grip on his brother.

**It doesn’t matter...not the rats.**

Everybody laughed.

**But that’s...some day.”**

“I understand what you mean but you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.” Percy said softly.

**Hermes got up...Martha said.**

“Only sixty?” Hermes asked sarcastically.

“You’ve been sitting down for not even five minutes?” Connor frowned.

“Yep. Busy, busy.” Hermes sighed.

**And one...farther away.**

“Why are they looking for you?” Nico asked.

  
“Hermes made it seem like I called them.” Percy said.

**“I hope I...the dark water.**

Percy and Annabeth both grimaced.

**“Wait,” I said...to eat you.**

“That is a good reason to hurry.” Beckendorf nodded.

“Yeah. I’d get a move on.” Leo agreed.

**Now, good night...impossible decision.**

“It’s not that impossible.” Nico said.

“Yeah. I’d have thought you’d jump at the chance to go.” Rachel frowned.

“I did really want to go but…” Percy trailed off and shrugged.

“Chapter’s done.” Demeter announced.

“I suppose I haven’t read yet.” Hades said in a long suffering voice. She tossed the book at him and he caught it deftly.


	8. We Board The Princess Andromeda

All of the Greek campers grimaced.

**I was staring...holding. “What—”**

“That’s definitely an interesting collection of items to have in the middle of the night.” Beckendorf grinned.

“You’d have thought that if he was yelling loudly enough for you two to hear, someone else would have heard too.” Leo frowned.

“Hermes made it so just us two would hear anything.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. 

“Oh.” Leo nodded.

**“Just listen,”...come back to.”**

“She’s got a point.” Thalia nodded.

“This is a novelty. Annabeth is convincing Percy to do something reckless.” Nico laughed.

**“Yeah, but you...with you!**

“You’re the one encouraging him to go.” Grover grinned. “But I’m glad you guys came.”

**Tyson can stay behind and tell them—”**

“You can’t leave Tyson behind. That Tantalus dude would probably let the campers kill him for practise.” Reyna stated. Poseidon scowled at the thought.

“I wouldn’t leave Tyson at camp on his own.” Percy assured her.

**“I want to go,”...You know that’s impossible.”**

“Actually, having Tyson with you would surely be quite the advantage.” Jason said.

“We couldn’t have done it without him.” Annabeth admitted.

**I wondered...telling me.**

“Isn’t there always.” Percy muttered.

**She and Tyson...some space.**

“Percy…” Poseidon began.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t leave him?” Rachel frowned.

“I did. It was just a part of me. I would never leave Tyson at camp with Tantalus there. I was just being stupid.”

“Not stupid. I get needing some space and you made the right choice in the end. Although it would have been mean if you actually said that to Tyson.” Thalia said.

**Plus, I didn’t...us all killed.**

“There is that but he did alright against the monsters at your school and those bulls.” Gwen pointed out.

**On the other...Polyphemus’s island!**

“Tyson’s too loyal to Percy to turn on him.” Thalia shrugged.

“I’d only known him for a couple of days plus I didn’t trust Cyclopes.” Annabeth reminded her.

“Fair enough.” Thalia nodded. “I can’t blame you for that. I doubt I’d be any better in your place.”

**Polyphemus is...time to argue.**

“It was a bit of both.” Annabeth smirked at him.

**“All right,” she...“How’s it going?”**

Everybody laughed.

“You’re supposed to be being quick.” Connor said.

“Figured I should probably be polite to one of the only Gods who liked me. Go through the pleasantries and all that.” Percy shrugged.

**“Percy!” Annabeth...“Fish ponies!”**

“Fish ponies?” Nico asked with a laugh.

“Hippocampi.” Percy said.

“Fish ponies?” Poseidon winced. He definitely needed to teach Tyson the correct name for things.

**He was right...“They’re beautiful.”**

“They are.” Percy nodded, smiling at Annabeth.

**The nearest one...dodo birds.**

Everyone burst out laughing again.

**They weren’t...they caught you.**

All the Greek campers nodded.

**“Tyson!” I said...carrying a Cyclops.**

“Of course I knew. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was keeping a close eye on you after your last quest.” Poseidon said. Percy wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or worse.

**“Giddyup!” I said...on at all.**

Percy smiled happily. He loved riding Hippocampi. If he survived this war he would have to do that more often.

“I was grateful for that part.” Annabeth said. “They were really easy to ride.”

**As we got...PRINCESS ANDROMEDA**

“Interesting transport.” Reyna noted. That was definitely not the ship she recalled them turning up at Circe’s island in. She saw all the Greeks grimace.

“Not my favourite ship.” Percy said.

**Attached to...had no idea.**

A few people snickered.

“He’s got a point.” Connor said. 

“Seems like a weird choice.” Travis agreed. “Just because it’s called the Andromeda doesn’t mean you have to have that decoration.”

**I remembered...or something.**

Everybody except the Gods burst out laughing. 

“I love being inside your head.” Beckendorf said through his chuckles.

**Anyway, my namesake...Perseus’s luck.**

“That definitely did  _ not _ work.” Percy said firmly.

“It still might. You might get that happy ending.” Apollo smiled. 

“Besides, you do have real good luck at the best places.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Yeah but that usually just gets me out of the mess my bad luck got me into in the first place.” Percy shrugged.

**Judging by...of the hull.**

“Handy.” Leo said.

**“You first,”...of the ship.**

“Seems like you had good reason to be worried. You’re not even on the ship and he might give you away.” Dakota stated.

“Better there when we could still escape easily enough.” Percy said sharply.

**“Tyson, shhh!”...miss you, Rainbow!”**

Poseidon smiled softly.

**The hippocampus...Ancient Greek.**

“Yes, I’m sure it was the cursing that made the difference.” Nico laughed while Athena glared at her daughter.

“It’s well known that cursing helps solve mechanical problems.” Beckendorf grinned.

“Definitely.” Leo nodded.

**I figured we’d...I murmured.**

“You’d think that would be a good thing but it just makes me more worried.” Piper said.

“Yeah. It sounds a little creepy.” Jason agreed.

**“No,” Tyson said...clears it up.”**

“Maybe it’s not precise but it means there are definitely monsters on board and you need to be careful.” Beckendorf said.

“You sent them to a ship of monsters?” Poseidon and Athena glared at Hermes. 

“I haven’t done anything yet but options were probably limited.” He pointed out. 

**We came outside...sign of life.**

“Wicked.” Connor forced a grin. “Plenty of empty stores to get extra supplies from.”

**And yet...to sleep.”**

“A ghost ship with monsters on? I don’t think anywhere counts a safe.” Clarisse rolled her eyes.

“We had to get some sleep somewhere.” Percy shrugged.

**“Sleep,”...as weird.**

“So you’re going to stay in there?” Nico asked wide-eyed.

“It was too big a ship to search every single room for an empty one that was locked.” Annabeth pointed out.

**There was...of everything**

“Of course I did.” The God said.

**extra clothes...a lot better.**

“Oh that’s good. I forgot you wouldn’t have it with you.” Thalia said.

“It was nice of you to pack Tyson’s kit as well.” Percy smiled gratefully at Hermes. He grinned back.

**“I’ll be next...is enchanted?”**

“Could be.” Silena mused.

**She frowned...they drifted past.**

“That’s creepy. I’m not sure I’d be able to sleep there.” Piper shuddered a little.

“Honestly I was too tired not to.” Percy said. 

**Finally my weariness...darkness below.**

“Oh not again.” Poseidon groaned.

“Yeah.” Percy sighed. “It happens way too often.”

**If it isn’t...for the gods.**

“If he failed he’d probably be dead so it wouldn’t make much difference.” Nico said.

“They wouldn’t have killed Percy.” Annabeth said tightly. “They needed him to fulfil the prophecy.”

**How exactly...the boulder.**

Grover sighed while a few people sniggered. They felt bad for Grover but it wasn’t everyday a Satyr got called ‘honeypie’ but a Cyclops.

**Grover yelped...back together.**

“Good plan but risky. You really don’t want to get caught doing that.” Silena said.

“Tell me about it.” Grover muttered.

**The room...EXPO 2001.**

“World sheep expo? Is that even a thing?” Jason asked.

“I guess so. He’s got the shirt for it and he doesn’t strike me as the type to make his own shirts with print on.” Piper replied. 

“True.” Jason nodded.

**He must’ve...pretty darn close.**

Poseidon frowned a little.

**“What are you...just for you.”**

“You are so brave.” Silena said to Grover. 

“It helped he was pretty stupid.” The Satyr gave a small smile.

“Not quite stupid enough.” Annabeth muttered.

**“Mmmm!”...five, right?”**

“Totally.” Leo laughed.

**“Certainly...please, please!”**

“On our way.” Percy grinned.

**I woke to...the Promenade!”**

“Did that just say disemboweling practise?” Ares asked, finally taking some interest.

“Yes.” Hades said, frowning down at the book.

“That doesn’t sound like a mortal practise.” Demeter said.

“It isn’t.” Rachel stated.

**I sat up...much attention.**

“Well, I guess that on a ship this big they wouldn’t know everyone.” Rachel said. “They might not realise you’re stowaways.”

**But there was something wrong.**

“Isn’t there always.” Percy sighed.

**As the family...They wandered off.**

“Ok. Yeah, that sounds like they are enchanted.” Silena stated.

“An entire ship is enchanted?” Piper whistled.

“Seems like it. If they didn’t enchant everyone then the others would freak out.” Jason pointed out. Piper nodded.

**“Good morning,”...a hellhound**

A few people grimaced, remembering the last time Percy met a hellhound but to their surprise, Percy was smiling softly.

**a black mastiff...of the ordinary.**

“Well, between whatever enchantment they are under and the mist, I’d be more surprised if they did notice.” Thalia said.

“True.” Silena agreed.

**“Not hungry anymore,”...girls’ restroom?”**

Everybody laughed, grateful for something amusing to focus on. 

“It’s really a good job this is from Percy’s point of view. At least his humour keeps it from being too tense all the time.” Nico said with a grin. They all nodded their agreement.

**“I mean the ship, Percy! We have to get off the ship.”**

“And go where? You’re in the middle of the ocean probably.” Apollo asked.

“I was hoping Percy could pray to his father again and get us some transport away.” Annabeth explained.

**“Smells bad,”...forget his voice.**

Everyone glared at the book except Poseidon, who was glaring at Hermes, and Hermes himself who was staring at the floor. Poseidon was not happy that Hermes had deliberately sent his son onto a monster infested ship.

**“I’m not pushing...to Mount Olympus.”**

“Except he has a whole ship full of monsters at his beck and call.” Clarisse pointed out.

“By all means find out his plan but then you’d better leave.” Will agreed. “Even if you did capture him, you don’t have the time to take him to Olympus. You need to get Grover and the Fleece.”

“Chapter is done.” Hades announced, sounding relieved.

“I will read, brother.” Hestia said with a soft smile. He gave her the book quickly.


	9. I Have The Worst Family Reunion Ever

Hermes grimaced. He guessed that meant the meeting with his son didn’t end well. 

“You clearly haven’t been to very many.” Poseidon told his son dryly.

**Annabeth volunteered...or nobody went.**

Athena nodded. While she might not like the sea spawn, she was glad that he would not leave Annabeth.

“Good idea. On a ship that big, if you split up you might not be able to find each other again when something goes wrong.” Thalia said.

“What do you mean ‘when’” Percy asked indignantly.

“It’s you. Something was going to go wrong.” She pointed out. He shrugged. She wasn’t wrong.

**“Nobody!” Tyson voted. “Please?”**

“To be honest, I’d be with Tyson.” Leo muttered.

**But in...gather our stuff.**

“Good idea.” Athena nodded approvingly.

“Not that it mattered too much.” Percy muttered to himself. 

**We figured...worry about it.**

“A couple of bags won’t make much difference to a Cyclops.” Hermes shrugged.

**Tyson could...I could carry a backpack.**

“Exactly.” Hermes added to his previous point.

“I’d still rather not just make him the pack mule.” Percy frowned.

**We sneaked...into a supply closet.**

“Better than a girls toilet?” Thalia asked with a snicker.

“Much better.” Percy nodded earnestly.

“It was much more cramped.” Annabeth said.

“Still better.” Percy said.

**I heard a...one of them said.**

“They have an Aethiopian drakon in the cargo hold?” Ares asked with mild interest. 

“It would seem so.” Aphrodite rolled her eyes at her lover.

**The other laughed...Chris Rodriguez!”**

Hestia’s voice trailed off as everyone who didn’t already know about Chris’ betrayal turned to look at the son of Hermes who was trying valiantly to sink into the couch. Hermes looked towards his son, feeling as if the ice that had been buried in his gut at the thought of Luke’s betrayal was now being twisted violently. Was he such a bad parent? That was now two of his sons who had defected and one of them was pretty much the leader of the enemy. 

“The Fates DARE send a TRAITOR into our midst!” Zeus thundered dangerously, standing up and glaring at Chris. Travis squeezed Chris’ shoulders before standing up and moving in front of him. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the King of the Gods. Connor joined him. Everyone was taken aback, they had never seen the Stolls look so serious or so angry.

“Chris is on our side.” Travis stated firmly. “He made a mistake.”

“MISTAKE?” Zeus roared.

“Yeah. He thought that seeing as his dad couldn’t even be bothered to claim him, even after spending  _ years _ at camp, that maybe the other side would actually care about him.” Clarisse now moved to join the Stolls. 

“Chris. I…” Hermes began.

“You would turn against the Gods just because you weren’t claimed?” Hera scoffed.

“Years of frustration, anger and irritation at being ignored by your parent, thinking you’ve been forgotten or that your parent just doesn’t care builds up into hatred. Then Kronos comes in and manipulates them, gives them a way to focus their anger on you regardless of the consequences.” Connor glared at the Queen of the Gods. “Plenty did. Because not being claimed is a sign to us that our parents either don’t care about us or forget we even exist.” 

“That’s not the case.” Apollo protested.

“Isn’t it?” Percy asked. “If you don’t forget about them, and you  _ do _ care, then why don’t you claim your kids?” He glared around at all of them. “Of course, the kindest answer is that you are immortal so our little mortal lives are so fleeting you often forget about us. Even then, why should kids want to fight for their parents who forget they even exist?”

“It got even worse after that summer. I like Tyson, I do, but how were the undetermined kids supposed to feel that a monster got claimed after a few hours but they haven’t been claimed for years.” Travis said. He and Connor had already been struggling with it being their first summer as Cabin leaders after Luke’s betrayal, as well as trying to deal with his betrayal themselves that it didn’t help that they had to try and reassure the undetermined campers that the Gods didn’t care more about monsters than they did their own children.

“Yeah, that was a reason for quite a few more demigods leaving.” Chris nodded. “Or rather, it was the final straw for a lot of them, not the sole reason.” He’d heard plenty of demigods complaining that the Gods cared more about a monster than them. Poseidon frowned. He had only wanted to protect Tyson. 

“You should not turn your back on family.” Hera sniffed.

“That’s rich, coming from you, mother. You threw me off of Olympus because I wasn’t perfect looking.” Hephaestus grunted.

“Technically the Titans are family too.” Percy pointed out grimly. “Back to the point. Yes, Chris felt abandoned by his dad and decided to follow his brother in supporting Kronos. Luke was very well liked by the Hermes cabin and honestly, I’m surprised that more of the undetermined kids didn’t leave when he did. However, Chris realised his mistake and is back on our side.”

“How can we trust him?” Ares asked. “Could be a spy.”

“Kronos already had enough of those.” Annabeth said. Silena grimaced.

“Do you really think the Fates would have sent him here if he wasn’t trustworthy?” Travis asked as Clarisse glared around the room at everyone. 

“This is the second of your children to support father.” Zeus turned his glare on Hermes. There was a hint of accusation in his voice. Hermes spluttered but was interrupted before he could protest.

“That is no more Hermes’ fault than any of the Gods. Almost every God had at least one demigod child who turned to Kronos’ side.” Percy said bitterly. The Gods then began exchanging glances, each of them wondering how many, if any, of their children defected due to feeling abandoned.

“That is enough. I am going to continue reading now.” Hestia spoke quietly but firmly. Clarisse dragged Chris over to sit with her while the Stolls sat back down on either side of their dad. Zeus reluctantly sat back down as his sister began reading once more.

**Annabeth took off...never claimed him.**

Hermes looked over at his son, an apology written all over his face. Chris wasn’t looking at him.

**Now that I...twin serpent tails instead of legs.**

“Dracaenae.” Silena frowned.

“You guys should really leave.” Jason said. “There are too many monsters if you get caught.”

“We couldn’t leave without finding out what Luke was up to.” Percy said grimly.

**“Scythian Dracaenae,”...cheered and howled.**

The Gods all frowned at the description. They wanted to know if it was one of their children but at the same time they didn’t want to hear about the betrayal.

“Who was that?” Clarisse asked Chris in a whisper.

“Jake Dunson. Son of Hecate.” Chris replied quietly. “He was never at Camp.” She nodded.

**Annabeth stepped...way to turn.”**

Thalia and Annabeth both shivered. Tyson or not, they would never get used to Cyclopes changing voices like that.

“Cyclopes can change their voices?” Piper asked.

“Yep. They can sound like anyone they’ve heard.” Thalia said stiffly.

“Do you think Luke means Clarisse or you guys?” Reyna asked.

“Probably Clarisse but he might have guessed we would sneak out.” Percy said with a frown. “He would have known how close Annabeth was to Chiron and given that Luke made it personal with me last summer there was a good chance we would be involved.”

**Before I could...is gone for good?”**

“No.” All of the Greek campers spat angrily. They were still furious that Chiron had been blamed for the whole thing.

**Tyson laughed...skeletons in his closet.**

“Skeletons?” Thalia scowled furiously. “Just because his dad is evil. It’s not like the big three share the same dad as Chiron.”

“Enough, Thalia.” Chiron said gently.

“It’s not right. Especially as Mr D got  _ him _ in as a replacement.” She said firmly. He smiled slightly at her but did not reply.

**The poisoning of...looked puzzled. “Just listening.”**

“He is so young that he is doing it instinctively.” Poseidon realised. “Tyson won’t realise what he is doing.”

“I agree with Annabeth, it does sound creepy.” Piper said.

“Useful though.” Percy shrugged.

**“Keep going,” I said...gruff voice. “Right outside.”**

“Ah, I think they know you’re there.” Reyna stated.

“Run!” Frank yelled.

“Funnily enough, we did think of that.” Percy said, rolling his eyes.

“I’m guessing you still got caught.” Jason said.

“Ye of little faith.” Percy scoffed.

“Well given the chapter title, it’s pretty likely that you met Luke at some point.” Hazel pointed out. Percy pouted.

**Too late, I realized…beef sandwiches on a silver platter.**

“Mmmm. Pizza.” Leo groaned. “I’m hungry.” 

“We’ve only just had a snack break.” Jason said in disbelief.

“I’m with Leo.” Percy said.

“We will stop for lunch after the next chapter.” Chiron said. “You can last that long.” Both boys pouted but knew there was no use arguing.

**The horrible part...room feel cold.**

“Father.” Hades breathed. Poseidon, Athena and Hermes all sat up straighter. Poseidon put his arm around Percy’s shoulders and squeezed to reassure himself that his son was there and not anywhere near Kronos.

**“Well,” Luke said...than Cabin Eleven, huh?”**

“No.” Travis snarled.

“I’d take Cabin Elven anyday.” Chris said firmly. Clarisse squeezed his hand gently. Hermes smiled over at his son. His smile faded when he noticed that Chris was still avoiding looking at him. He made a mental note to speak to his son during the break.

**He’d changed since...evil male model,**

“Evil male model?” Will asked with a laugh.

“Were you checking Luke out?” Jason asked Percy with a grin. Percy went bright red. He had never told anyone about his very brief, mini crush on the son of Hermes. Nor did he intend to. Apollo and Nico both perked up at this question and Percy’s reaction. Will watched a hopeful expression flash across Nico’s face and felt both happy and annoyed. It was good to him that Nico seemed to like guys but naturally he had a crush on Percy Jackson. How was Will supposed to compete with him? 

“N..no.” Percy stuttered. “It was just an observation.” He added more firmly.

**showing off what...to Harvard this year.**

“Fashionable college-age villian?” Leo snickered. Everybody started chuckling.

“I love reading about what’s in your brain.” Grover said to Percy.

**He still had...mortals and monsters.**

“I’ve been thinking about that sword and I think it must be a form of, or at least a manifestation of, grandfather’s scythe.” Athena said in disgust. 

“What makes you say that?” Poseidon asked although he suspected his niece was correct.

“Think about what the boy did with it at the end of the last book. He disappeared in a ripple of darkness. Not to mention he seems to be Kronos’ chosen demigod to carry out his bidding while he has no body.” Athena said. Hermes grimaced at this bit. 

“I believe you are correct.” Hades nodded grimly. He and his brothers exchanged glances, wondering how the boy had found the Scythe.

**“Sit,” he told us...of the room.**

“What?” Zeus asked with a frown.

“How did he do that?” Artemis asked sharply. “Telekinesis isn’t a power of Hermes’ children.”

“Father must have given the boy some extra abilities.” Poseidon said with a grim expression.

“Surely he must need all his energy to heal.” Demeter pointed out. 

“Giving the boy some abilities wouldn’t take much power. Especially if the boy has a manifestation of his scythe as well.” Hades said. Hermes swallowed around a lump that had formed in his throat. Was it even possible to save his son at this point? He shook his head. It had to be. In this time Luke hadn’t even been born yet. He would just have to do a better job of looking out for his son.

**None of us sat...heard of them.”**

“Yes. It seems Ares should not have intervened in their punishments.” Hermes raised an eyebrow at his half brother.

“I’ll dismember them myself this time.” Ares snarled.

**I said nothing...Wasn’t the bear twins who scared me.**

“Giant bears with spears pointed at you aren’t scary?” Leo asked.

“Not as scary as Luke or that sarcophagus.” Percy said.

**I’d imagined...hands from shaking.**

Percy grimaced and looked down. For the millionth time he cursed these stupid books. The other campers did not need to hear about him being scared to face Luke. He was supposed to be a hero.

“Well he did almost kill you last summer. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t at least a little worried about facing him.” Poseidon told his son.

“I’m supposed to be a hero. I’m supposed to be brave.” Percy muttered quietly.

“Bravery isn’t the absence of fear. It is the ability to work through your fear and do what needs to be done. You overcome your fear and don’t let it control you.” The Sea God told his son.

**“You don’t know...Artemis for help.**

Aphrodite and Artemis glared at each other.

“Artemis should not have interfered and allowed her to join the hunt.” Aphrodite scowled at the maiden goddess.

“It was kind of cruel of you to force someone to fall in love.” Gwen said to her mother. “Love might be your domain but surely that means you should know better than anyone it is not right to force love on people.” Aphrodite looked taken aback. Then she opened her mouth to instruct her daughter but Hestia kept reading.

**Artemis let her...girl in disgust.**

“It wasn’t the girl’s fault.” Percy scowled.

“She broke her vow.” Artemis stated clearly.

“Because a Goddess magically cursed her. She didn’t do it willingly.” Nico argued. He still hated the Hunters of Artemis for taking his sister away from him. The demigods all had looks of anger or disgust on their faces.

**Typical of the gods...in the middle.**

“As usual.” Percy muttered angrily.

“The audacity of that boy.” Artemis sneered.

“He’s got a point. You Gods can’t hurt each other so you attack each other through mortals...or us.” Percy stated evenly, though his fists were clenched in anger. “Yet another reason demigods joined Kronos’ side.” The Gods all looked angry at that statement but Hestia started reading before an argument could break out.

**The girl’s twin sons...normal behavior.**

“Oookay? If he thinks that’s normal he needs some new company.” Dakota said.

**He made himself...How’s your mom? How’s school?”**

“He’s making small talk?” Piper looked confused.

“Probably trying to delay them. They don’t have long before the poison will kill Thalia’s tree.” Jason said with an edge in his voice.

**“You poisoned...So what?”**

“What do you mean ‘so what’? You scum!” Jason yelled angrily. “You were supposed to be her friend!” Thunder rumbled overhead and small flashes of lightning were surrounding Jason as his fury spilled over. Piper scooted away from him to avoid being electrocuted.

“He doesn’t even care that he could have killed me.” Thalia said, her voice coming out barely above a whisper.

  
“Luke was an idiot.” Percy told her. Then they both heard the thunder and Thalia looked up. She spotted the storm building around Jason and hurried to her brother’s side. 

“Jay. I’m ok. I’m right here.”

“But he..! You could have..!” Jason was so angry on his sister’s behalf that he couldn’t even form sentences. Because of that traitor he could have lost his sister before he even had the chance to know her. And he was supposed to be her friend and yet he didn’t care that he had poisoned her. Jason couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. Thalia grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. After a few moments Jason could feel something wet dripping into his hair and he realised that Thalia was crying. He might have only known her for a couple of days but he knew that his sister did not cry easily. Slowly the lightning stopped. The two stayed hugging for a few moments longer. “I’m sorry he was an idiot.” Jason said.

“Me too.” Thalia murmured. She kept her face buried in her brother’s short hair. She did not need anyone seeing that she had cried. Still, it burned so badly to hear Luke speak so callously. Even if he had known what would happen with the fleece, there was no guarantee that the fleece would get there in time. She sank down onto the couch with Jason. Piper switched places with Annabeth so she could sit on Thalia’s other side.

**“How could you?”...be on my side.”**

“Clearly.” Percy scoffed.

“I’d never side with Kronos.” Thalia spat.

“My daughter knows better than that.” Zeus said proudly.

“We know, Thals.” Annabeth told her friend. 

“I’m going to kill him.” Thalia muttered feeling both hurt and angry.

**“Liar!”...a world without them, Annabeth?**

“I can but I don’t want to.” Annabeth said. “The Gods may be very far from perfect but they are still better than the Titans.” The Gods all looked affronted at the first part of her statement.

**What good is...intelligence, Annabeth.”**

Athena narrowed her eyes. From having studied her daughter over the course of the reading, the Wisdom Goddess suspected that her daughter’s fatal flaw was pride. Common in her children. It seemed this Luke boy knew that as well, or at least suspected. He was trying to manipulate Annabeth with her fatal flaw and Athena did not appreciate that.

Hermes hid his face in his hands. It was becoming more clear that his son was getting closer to being lost to him. He desperately hoped that this was simply Kronos’ influence over his son, not how his son truly felt.

**“Because you have none of your own!”**

“Nice.” Leo laughed.

**His eyes narrowed...hunted to extinction.**

“I’d rather be hunted to extinction than join you.” Beckendorf scowled furiously. The demigods all nodded their agreement. Silena glanced over at her boyfriend anxiously. How was he going to react if they found out she was helping Kronos. She only wanted to keep Charlie safe and Luke had promised not to hurt him if she helped him out. However she was becoming less and less sure that Charlie would understand that. She would just have to hope that Percy never found out so it wouldn’t be in these books. 

The Stolls exchanged looks and grimaced. It still stung to know that their own brother would hunt them down and kill them. If he could poison his old best friend without remorse, would it even bother him to kill them? That was a scary thought. Even though they knew it was likely Luke would die if they won the war, it would still upset them that their brother died. Would Luke feel the same way the other way around? 

**You really want...You of all people—”**

“I consider betraying our parents and poisoning me far worse than travelling with a good Cyclops.” Thalia growled lowly.

**“Stop it!” she shouted...all about that.**

“Well yeah, quite a few new recruits were complaining about it.” Chris said quietly.

**And about...who keep me posted.”**

“He has spies at camp?” Apollo asked cautiously. Silena inwardly cringed. Although she hadn’t agreed to help Kronos until recently the guilt was still eating away at her.

“He’s had spies in camp since then?” Clarisse glared. All the Greeks looked around at each other cautiously.

“Yeah. Adam from the Ares cabin was a spy. So was Eileen from Demeter’s cabin.” Chris said. “Adam died last summer and Eileen left to join the main force right before I went into the Lab...that place.” He cut himself off with a wince. 

“WHAT?” Ares and Demeter yelled. They both reeled back like they had been punched in the face while Zeus glared furiously at both of them. Hestia gave her sister a sympathetic look and then continued reading.

**“Spies, you mean.”...cares for this monster?”**

Poseidon glared at the book. “I care for all of my children.” He said through gritted teeth.

**Tyson clenched his...using you, Percy.**

“Which is different from how Kronos is using you, how exactly?” Thalia asked angrily.

“Because he is stupid enough to believe that Kronos isn’t using him.” Travis scoffed. 

**Do you have any...you the prophecy?”**

Chiron sighed.

“Why does Luke know about the prophecy?” Beckendorf asked.

“I guess Kronos knows it and so told him.” Chiron said.

“I do so love it when the enemy has knowledge that I don’t when it pertains to me.” Percy grumbled.

“It would just distract you if you knew.” Annabeth said. “You would keep trying to change it and the more you try to escape a prophecy, the more you end up making it come true.” 

**I wanted to get...like the sound of that.**

“Me either.” Poseidon said. He already knew the prophecy of course and it was troubling him greatly that his son was likely to be the one who fulfilled it. It made the most sense as these books were from his point of view. Plus the note at the beginning basically gave it away. It didn’t make him feel any better.

**“I know what...my enemies are.”**

The demigods all nodded while the Gods eyed Percy warily. So far he didn’t seem to consider the Gods enemies, except possibly Ares, and they hoped that would not change.

**“Then you’re a fool.”...the deck shook.**

“Those guys are strong.” Beckendorf said in surprise. It was not easy to overpower a Cyclops.

“Together, yes. Not to mention Tyson is still very young. Were he an adult they wouldn’t have a chance. Still, even at his age he could beat one of them, just not both.” Poseidon explained.

**“Too bad...for your strength.**

“And Luke has just told you that important information. Unless he had just made a very careless mistake, he is planning something.” Athena frowned.

**Maybe I should let...father sent us.”**

Hermes perked up hopefully.

**His face turned the color of pepperoni.**

And he sank back down again. That was not the reaction he had been hoping for. Connor squeezed his dad’s arm gently.

**“Don’t— even— mention...the gold sarcophagus.**

Zeus glared at Hermes for his son’s traitorous words while Hermes just felt like crying.

“Percy, do you know what he meant by that?” He asked. He wanted to know if he had actually abandoned his son at some point.

“No idea.” Percy shrugged. “Sorry, Lord Hermes.” Annabeth and Thalia exchanged looks.

**The box creeped...small piece appears—”**

“I always wondered how that works. Why does people pledging to him help Kronos to reform?” Percy asked.

“Zeus destroyed our father by slicing him to pieces with his scythe. The scythe’s power is to reap souls so to fix him you need the opposite of that. He needs souls to pledge to him.” Hades explained.

“Plus it has the added effect of making us weaker. You demigods are part God but also your prayers and offerings are a great source of Olympus’ power. Take that away and we are made weaker.” Athena added with a worried frown. “I hope you informed us.”

“I did. As soon as Percy told me about the quest.” Chiron said.

“Not that it made any difference. Zeus still refused to believe Kronos was rising again.” Percy muttered angrily. The Gods looked at their King in disbelief.

**“That’s disgusting!”...whatever you want.**

“Wrong thing to bribe Percy with.” Connor said.

“And he is supposed to be a son of Hermes. He’s rubbish at bribery.” Travis agreed with his brother. 

“What do you mean?” Artemis asked. Surely offering power and glory to a boy was quite effective.

“Percy doesn’t care about power at all.” Annabeth said. “He can’t stand being the centre of attention either.” Artemis was confused. Truly this boy was different to others.

**Annabeth, you can...of the next age!”**

Annabeth sighed. That was everything she had ever dreamed off. She wished it could be true but Kronos would never allow that. As soon as he won, he’d kill all demigods or keep them for entertainment.

**“Go to Tartarus,” she said.**

The Greeks all nodded in agreement. 

**Luke sighed...them how it’s done.”**

“Glad that didn’t happen.” Percy grimaced.

**Oreius grinned stupidly...something were troubling him.**

“What? Luke said himself that Tyson wasn’t a match for them  _ together _ . Surely he knows Tyson could take one of them on their own.” Jason frowned.

“He probably does. Maybe he wants them to get away for some reason.” Reyna said.

“And given that troubled look, I doubt it’s his idea to let them go.” Athena stated. “Kronos must want them to get the fleece to bring Thalia back. It gives him another opportunity to persuade a child of the big three to join his side.” 

**“Agrius, stay here...But maybe separately …**

“Definitely letting them go.” Ares said confidently. “First he let the necessary information slip and then only sent one twin.” 

“Yeah, we gathered that.” Athena rolled her eyes.

**We exited the...zombie tourist family.**

“Nice.” Beckendorf grinned.

“Go Tyson!” Leo cheered. 

**“Ah!” the kids yelled in unison. “We are not having a blast in the pool!”**

A few people snickered despite feeling bad for the mortals.

**One of the security...Sirens wailed.**

“Wonderful.” Thalia groaned.

“You’re in the middle of the ocean.” Nico pointed out.

“Home turf.” Percy grinned.

“For you and Tyson. Not for Annabeth.” Grover said.

**“Lifeboat!” I yelled...puddle of piña colada.**

Everyone burst out laughing at the image.

**Laistrygonian archers...with a fire extinguisher.**

“Definitely a good thing you took him with you.” Beckendorf said.

“Yeah. He saved our butts a lot.” Percy nodded.

**“Get in!” I yelled...out of the air.**

“You slashed arrows out of the air?” Will asked, looking impressed.

“He once slashed Hunters arrows out of the air.” Thalia said with a smile. Percy went a little red as Artemis and Apollo both looked at him in astonishment. The other demigods looked at him with awe. They remembered the capture the flag game against the hunters and they couldn’t even see the arrows flying at them, let alone slash them out of the air.

“That is very impressive.” Apollo told him with a grin. “You clearly have some damn good reflexes to do that.” Percy went even redder and asked Hestia to keep reading.

**Any second we...with the release pulley.**

“Hurry up.” Poseidon muttered.

**I jumped in beside...toward the ocean.**

“Well that actually went pretty well for you guys.” Silena said.

“Yeah. Percy should be able to control the boat easily.” Poseidon smiled. Athena scowled. Her daughter would have to rely a lot on the sea spawn given that the rest of their journey was over water. She did not like that.

“That is the end of the chapter.” Hestia announced. 

“I haven’t read yet.” Rachel said. The Goddess passed her the book with a smile.

“One more chapter and then lunch.” Chiron reminded everyone. The boys all groaned about being reminded about food. The Centaur smiled and rolled his eyes.

  
  



	10. We Hitch a Ride with Dead Confederates

“Dead confederates?” Nico asked.

“Yep.” Percy nodded.

“Why would you meet any dead on your quest? You didn’t come to my domain again did you?” Hades asked with a groan.

“No uncle. You’ll find out pretty soon.” Percy grinned.

**“Thermos!” I screamed as we hurtled toward the water.**

“Ooh. Not necessarily the best idea.” Hermes winced. “I might have waited at least until you landed on the water before doing that.”

**“What?” Annabeth must’ve thought I’d lost my mind.**

“To be fair, I think most people would have thought you’d lost your mind if you scream ‘thermos’ at them while falling through the sky.” Grover told Percy in amusement.

“Actually I thought he lost it a while back.” Annabeth grinned. Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

**She was holding...it or the boat.**

“That’s impressive.” Connor whistled. 

“Good thing he’s strong.” Leo nodded.

“I meant that Tyson understood something before Annabeth.” Connor said. 

“Yeah that is impressive.” Travis agreed. “And weird.”

**Arrows and javelins...the right thing. “Hang on!”**

“Ok, maybe I should have mentioned how to use it in a little more detail.” Hermes said with a sheepish grin.

“Percy would probably have ignored your instructions.” Thalia laughed. 

“When Percy plans or tries to prepare it all goes horribly wrong anyway.” Annabeth pointed out with a chuckle. “His best plans are the ones made up on the spot.”

“By best, you mean ones that really should kill us but somehow have a way of working out?” Grover asked.

“Yep.” Annabeth nodded. Percy mock glared at both of them and they laughed.

**“I am hanging on!”...a quarter turn.**

“That’s a bit much.” Hermes noted.

“Yeah. We found that out.” Percy grinned sheepishly.

**Instantly, a white...was glad to be free.**

“It probably was.” Apollo nodded.

“The wind does not like to be trapped.” Artemis stated.

**As we hit the...then it was gone.**

“Woah! That was definitely quicker than rowing.” Leo whistled.

“I would hope so.” Hermes said. “You controlled it pretty well. Maybe a quarter turn was fine although you now have less for future use.”

“It worked out ok.” Percy smiled.

**As we raced...know who else to trust.**

“A good idea but that will be difficult to pull off.” Beckendorf frowned.

“Chiron or the Gods need to know what you found out.” Reyna pointed out.

“Yeah. The problem is that at that speed the wind will disrupt the rainbow and distort the connection. Not to mention the amount of noise it will make.” Poseidon explained. “Chiron will most likely be unable to hear them properly, even with his enhanced hearing.”

**The wind from...at a dance club.**

“Chiron? At a dance club?” The Stolls burst out laughing.

“He was with the Party Ponies.” Annabeth told them.

“Those guys are awesome.” Connor said. 

“Their parties aren’t completely atrocious.” Dionysus said, which, coming from him, was very high praise indeed.

“I was not partying.” Chiron sniffed disapprovingly.

**We told him about...much he heard.**

“Not much.” The Centaur admitted.

**“Percy,” Chiron yelled...out of sight.**

“That sounds like something awesome is happening.” Travis said.

“It was not awesome.” Chiron grumbled.

“What were you trying to warn us about?” Percy asked Chiron.

“Circe.”

“Ah. Wish we’d heard that.” Percy sighed. He was  _ not  _ looking forward to that coming up.

**“Annabeth, you shouldn’t have let Percy leave camp!**

“She encouraged me.” Percy pointed out.

“Yes. I know that now.” Chiron said with a disapproving look at Annabeth. “However, it turned out to be a good thing. You needed to go.”

**But if you do...Chiron was gone.**

“Alright, so there are some disadvantages but they sound amazing.” Dakota said.

“We’ll show you sometime.” Connor said.

“No.” Chiron said firmly. He did not need the Stolls dragging Romans into the chaos that was the Party Ponies. Especially a son of Dionysus/Bacchus.

**An hour later we...by three kids.**

“Really? I thought that was pretty common.” Rachel said sarcastically.

**“That’s Virginia Beach!”...nautical miles,” I said.**

“That ship must be super quick.” Leo whistled.

“It is.” Beckendorf nodded. He had done a lot of recon around that ship recently. 

**She stared at me...did I know that?”**

“That’s really useful.” Leo said. 

“Yeah. How come I can’t do that on land?” Thalia asked.

“Because your dad’s element is the sky.” Percy pointed out. He didn’t mention that there was no way Thalia would be flying any time soon.

“I can’t do that in the sky. At least, I don’t think I can.” Jason frowned.

“Do you not know anything about your powers?” Athena asked Percy in exasperation.

“Funnily enough, no. It’s not like I had any siblings to teach me what powers I have or how to use them. I had to find out by accident or in an emergency.”

**“Because of your...too many questions.”**

“Ooh, I wonder what they would blame Percy for this time.” Leo said.

“Mortal authorities do make life so much more awkward.” Frank sighed.

**“Keep going into...we can hide.”**

“That’s still there?” Thalia asked with a smile.

“Yep.” Annabeth smiled in return.

“But wouldn’t Luke know?” 

“He wouldn’t be able to catch up that quickly no matter how fast his ship.”

“Fair enough. Just don’t stay too long.” 

“We didn’t.” Annabeth sighed. They could have done with a little longer to rest.

“What are you two on about?” Jason asked.

“You’ll see.” Annabeth said.

**I didn’t ask what...Annabeth was directing me.**

“That’s one heck of a crash.” Grover looked worriedly at his friend.

“Going from saltwater to freshwater shouldn’t have affected you that badly.” Poseidon frowned.

“Well I was already pretty tired. We didn’t get much sleep and I’d been using the wind for an hour while controlling the boat.” Percy said slowly. “But I didn’t have such an issue going from salt to freshwater any other time.” Poseidon’s frown deepened.

“Maybe you just weren’t used to it and the tiredness amplified the effect.” He suggested. That was all he could think of. Except that the usual rules didn’t seem to apply to his son. 

**“There,” she said...I didn’t like it.**

“City boy.” Thalia teased.

“Damn right.” Percy said.

“How did you survive on quests if you hate anything that isn’t New York?” Rachel asked in a teasing voice.

“I can adapt.” Percy said, putting on a haughty voice.

“Keep telling yourself that.” Grover laughed.

**“Come on,”...draw attention.”**

Everyone nodded.

**After burying the...a camouflaged shelter.**

“I can’t believe that’s still intact.” Thalia smiled.

“It was fine.” Annabeth said.

“What is it?” Piper asked.

“A hideout with supplies for demigods. Annabeth, Luke and I made them while we were travelling.” Thalia said, biting out Luke’s name like it was the worst curse she could think of.

“That’s so cool.” Silena said.

“I think we should make some official ones once we have some time. That way when things go horribly wrong on a quest there will be a place people can go.” Will suggested. He was already thinking of all the medical supplies a demigod hideout would need.

“It would also be useful for Protectors.” Grover put in. Thalia nodded. Suddenly all of the demigods were discussing the sorts of things these hideouts would need and various protections they could put over them. Even the Romans chipped in, thinking these hideouts would be a good idea for them too.

“We can put together a plan when we get back to Camp.” Chiron said, stopping all the talking.

**The inside was...looked pretty waterproof.**

“They were for short periods. If it rained more than a couple of days it got very wet.” Annabeth said.

“Not that we often stayed anywhere that long but we found out once. Couldn’t use that hideout again.” 

“It wasn’t pretty.” Thalia grimaced. “Although the hideouts were made of various different materials depending on where we were and what we had available.” 

**Stacked in the...and a box of ambrosia.**

“All good. Not that you need some currently but it’s always good to have some ambrosia around.” Will nodded. Then he wondered where the three demigods on the run had managed to get enough ambrosia to leave a box of the stuff in a hideout, possibly several hideouts.

**The place smelled...You made this place?”**

“It is impressive for three demigods who had been on the run with very few supplies.” Leo said admiringly.

“Well, they did have an architect, a son of Hermes and a Thalia.” Percy pointed out. “Annabeth could design decent shelter, Luke could steal supplies they needed and Thalia could just hover.”

“Hey!” Thalia protested. “I had to help Annabeth with the building. Being ordered around by some little seven year old who is acting like I’m an idiot because I don’t know how to build a waterproof shelter.” A few people started snickering but quickly stopped when she glared at them.

“I really don’t know how you didn’t drown in your sleep or something with your shelter designs.” Annabeth said with a smirk.

**“Thalia and I,”...I don’t know. Uncomfortable?**

“I don’t think that’s it.” Aphrodite said, a little too gleefully for Percy’s taste. Percy was glaring at the floor.

**No. That’s...was jealous.**

“That sounds more like it.” The Love Goddess grinned happily. She knew she would love messing with their love lives.

“Seriously? You actually knew you were jealous and yet you two still aren’t together?” Thalia whispered to Percy who had gone very red. Annabeth was smiling to herself while Apollo and Nico were both scowling at the floor. Rachel was trying not to glare at Annabeth but judging by the looks Piper was throwing her, she wasn’t being very successful.

“Yeah, I had a crush on Annabeth but she’s so caught up on Luke that I just don’t know.” Percy whispered back. “She gives me all kinds of mixed signals.” He didn’t add that he was also confused because this book was reminding him of his previous crush on Luke as well. He had only recently realised that his original hero worship feelings towards Luke had actually been something more. That had been one horribly embarrassing conversation with his mom he never,  _ ever _ , wanted to repeat. But she had helped him realise that his feelings towards Annabeth, which he continued to deny but his mother seemed to know anyway, were actually very similar to his old feelings towards Luke.

He thought about how Annabeth had reacted to Rachel and the fact that he had gone to Calypso’s island. He hadn’t thought anything of it other than Annabeth being Annabeth but maybe that was supposed to mean she liked him? Was she jealous? But she kept defending Luke and still seemed to like him? Girls were complicated, Percy thought. Thalia gave him a look that he interpreted to mean they would be talking about this later. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

**“So…” I said...convenience store or something?”**

“You can tell she doesn’t want to talk about it so you’re going to bring it up anyway.” Rachel rolled her eyes.

“Percy’s like that.” Thalia said. She wouldn’t admit that the talks with Percy really helped her. He did not need to know that.

“You think he is going to find a convenience store in the middle of nowhere?” Jason asked.

“No. I just didn’t want Tyson around for the conversation. He made Annabeth uncomfortable still and it wasn’t going to be a comfortable conversation anyway.” Percy shrugged.

“Wow. So you do notice stuff like that.” Grover teased.

“Not completely oblivious then.” Rachel laughed.

**“Convenience store?”...started calling, “Here, donuts!”**

Everybody burst out laughing.

“Only Tyson.” Beckendorf grinned. 

“You should be trying to find something good for you, like cereal. Not donuts.” Demeter scoffed, looking slightly disgusted.

**Once he was gone...too easily,” I said.**

“At least you noticed that.” Athena nodded. Maybe there was some hope for the sea spawn yet.

**I hoped I’d...the bait? Or Grover?”**

“The fleece.” Apollo said. “Given the timing of the dream Percy had about Grover getting caught in the wedding dress shop, Thalia’s tree was poisoned well before Grover was captured. Luke may not even know Grover is there.” 

“Also there was no guarantee that Percy would be the one on the quest. Grover would be good bait if Percy was definitely going.” Will said.

“Hey!” Grover protested at the implication he wouldn’t be good bait for anyone else.

“I don’t mean we wouldn’t want to save you, of course we would, but without Percy’s dreams we would have no idea where you were meaning it’s not very good bait. Plus as Percy’s best friend he would be that much more incentivised to find you than other campers.”

“Not to mention the spies at camp might well have known that Chiron told Percy not to go to camp.” Silena added, trying not to stutter over the word ’spy’.

**She studied the...steal it from us.**

“That sounds like a plan father would come up with.” Hades sighed. The other kids of Kronos all nodded their agreement. 

**I just can’t believe he would poison the tree.”**

“Me either.” Thalia whispered sadly. It meant that any remnant of her friend was now gone. He was truly Kronos’ puppet. Zeus grumbled angrily under his breath with Jason scowled at the floor. 

**“What did he...don’t sound sure.”**

“What?” Thalia looked at her friend, a little hurt. “You thought there was a chance I’d join Kronos?” 

“No. Percy was imagining things.” Annabeth said firmly. “I trusted you.” Thalia nodded, looking happier.

**Annabeth glared at me...holding a knife.**

“Yeah. She’s scary.” Leo said while a few other people snickered.

**“Percy, you know...would’ve strangled each other.”**

“Kinda both.” Percy laughed.

“Pretty much.” Thalia agreed. “Best friends who frequently would like to strangle each other.” They exchanged air high fives. 

“Just like your fathers.” Demeter sighed.

“We are  _ not _ best friends.” Poseidon scoffed.

“Definitely not.” Zeus agreed. Both Gods folded their arms and looked away from each other while the other Gods all rolled their eyes at their childish antics.

**“Let’s go with ‘best friends.”...arrows in the corner. “No.”**

A few Gods let out sighs of relief.

“But his fatal flaw is personal loyalty. He’s too loyal to turn against Olympus.” Silena said.

“But loyalty can be broken and if it is broken or betrayed then it’s almost impossible to get that loyalty back. If the Olympians did something to upset Percy enough then that loyalty could switch.” Annabeth said. Now some of the Gods looked worried again.

**“Okay, then...knife blade into the dirt.**

“Never.” Thalia nodded. More sighs of relief while Zeus muttered about how his daughter obviously would never.

**I wanted to ask her...she wouldn’t tell me.**

“Why does Annabeth even know about it? If it’s about the children of the big three then it has nothing to do with her.” Athena frowned.

“She doesn’t know the entire prophecy. But given how long she’s been at camp it was inevitable she would hear something.” Chirons sighed.

**Chiron had made it...real reason Thalia died.”**

“It’s not like that was the sole reason I died.” Thalia sighed. “There were a lot of things that went wrong.”

**I waited, not sure...up a pastry box.**

“What?” Demeter asked. “He actually found a shop nearby?” 

“Yep.” 

“I wanna know why Annabeth hates Cyclopes.” Leo complained.

“I tell Percy about it later.” Annabeth assured him with an eye roll.

**Annabeth stared at him...“Fifty feet,” Tyson said.**

More laughter.

“That has to be a trap of some kind.” Connor said suspiciously. 

“You don’t say.” Travis replied sarcastically.

“A trap that gives out donuts?” Gwen asked. The Stolls both nodded vigorously

**“Monster Donut shop—just over the hill!”**

“Well that says it all.” Reyna stated.

“Monster Donut Shop are a chain of stores that are connected to monsters’ life force.” Chris explained.

“It’s not exactly subtle.” Dakota said. “Sort of says it all in the name.” 

“Monsters often aren’t subtle.” Thalia shrugged.

“How do you know that?” Gwen asked Chris.

“It’s a pretty common story told around the Hermes cabin. Apparently some of our siblings in the fifties worked out how to do it.” Connor explained.

“Why would they do that?” Reyna asked.

“It was an experiment gone wrong.” Travis defended with a sheepish grin.

“I’m definitely checking over any experiments the Mercury kids come up with.” Reyna muttered to herself.

**“This is bad,”...It looked brand new,**

“That’s because it was.” Travis said.

“I know that now.” Percy sighed.

**with brightly lit...Annabeth whispered. “It’s wrong.”**

“But donuts.” Leo said longingly.

“Not worth the monsters that come with them.” Percy assured him. Leo sighed. If even Percy was saying that then it must be true. Leo had seen that guy eat and heard many stories about his infamous appetite.

**“What?” I asked...middle of the woods?”**

“A donut shop that appears on request.” Leo groaned. 

**I thought about it...of sinister forces.**

“They are now.” Percy sighed sadly.

“Yep, very terrifying sinister forces, including the Titan Kronos, Kindly Ones and donut shops.” Leo said in an announcer voice. Everybody started laughing because of how ridiculous it sounded even if it was a bit true.

“I wonder what other chains are actually monster nests.” Jason frowned.

“Walmart has to be. Those things are everywhere.” Piper said only half joking. Those who knew what Walmart was starting chuckling. 

“McDonalds.” Will suggested.

“That’s not a monster chain.” Nico said.

“How do you know?” Will asked. Nico blushed a little. 

“I just do.”

**“It could be a...thought about it.”**

“I don’t think anyone except Annabeth thinks about it.” Chris chuckled. Annabeth glared at him.

“Well it would probably be a good idea to know what shops are monster nests, you know, to avoid them and stay alive.” Beckendorf said.

**“Percy, some of...She froze.**

“I’m guessing Annabeth found the monster.” Apollo said. Ares perked up, hoping for some action. This book was even more dull than the last one so far. 

**“What?” I demanded...DONUT KID!**

“A hydra?” Poseidon groaned. His son really had the worst luck. He needed to speak to Tyche. Maybe his son had offended her somehow without knowing. 

“Have you fought every monster out there?” Reyna asked, sounded a little impressed.

“I’m not sure. Definitely a lot.” Percy shrugged.

“You don’t have any fire nearby which is going to make things difficult.” Ares mused, looking excited. That made it an even better challenge. And if the punk got himself a little roasted, then so much the better.

“Why does it have a bib on?” Piper asked. 

“No idea. It must have something to do with the fact that it’s only just formed and because it’s linked to the Monster Donut shop.” Annabeth said.

“Annabeth doesn’t know something!” Connor yelled.

“The world is ending!” Travis added.

“Oh shut up.” Annabeth glared at both of them as a few people tried to diguise their laughing as coughs.

**I took out my...pass us by.**

“It’ll smell you soon enough.” Hermes pointed out. 

“It probably already followed Tyson’s scent and that will lead it to yours.” Grover said.

“Plus this is Percy. It’ll find him somehow.” Thalia put in. Percy sighed. She wasn’t wrong.

**But if I uncapped...It was following our scent.**

“Great, it’s caught the scent and destroyed your supplies.” Poseidon groaned again.

“Of course. Can’t be easy when I’m around.” Percy said to his father. 

**My heart pounded...us and hissed.**

“Wonderful. Your son had better not get my daughter killed.” Athena hissed at Poseidon.

“Your daughter is sitting right there, clearly not dead.” The Sea God rolled his eyes.

**“Scatter!” Annabeth yelled...two of its heads.**

“Nice going.” Apollo nodded.

“It can’t have been easy to knock a Cyclops out of the way.” Nico said.

“It wasn’t.” Percy admitted.

“If only crushing a couple of heads would kill it.” Annabeth sighed.

**The Hydra stumbled...fallen tree.**

“It’s not the tree’s fault you spat acid and destroyed it.” Grover huffed. People gave him some weird looks.

**All seven heads...It worked.**

“Wonderful. Now you have it’s attention. It can kill you instead.” Dionysus drawled.

“At least I was able to dodge it. Tyson was just standing there frozen.” Percy pointed out. Poseidon wasn’t sure whether to be proud or just worried.

**The sight of celestial...I swung my sword.**

“That’s an even worse idea.” Athena sneered. “Don’t you know anything?”

“Hey, it was instinctive.” Percy shrugged.

“You need to find some fire somewhere. Note to self, always have a Leo when fighting a Hydra.” Piper said.

“No thanks. I don’t want to be fighting any hydras.” Leo shook his head firmly. 

“We managed.” Annabeth smiled.

“No. You didn’t.” Clarisse glared. “You were toast.”

**“No!” Annabeth yelled...Monster Donut shop somewhere!”**

“Seriously?” Thalia asked her friend.

“That should not be your biggest concern right now.” Athena told her daughter.

“I’m blaming that on being around Percy for too long. My brain just jumped to the most random thing it could think of.” Annabeth said. Percy stuck his tongue out at her. 

“I always knew Percy was catching.” Thalia laughed.

  
  


“Well, you were sitting next to me for most of the reading so far, who do you think is next?” Percy asked with an evil chuckle. Thalia pretended to look horrified.

“Oh no.” Jason moved away from her.

“Sorry, sis but I don’t want to be infected. It’d be as bad as Leo rubbing off on me.”

“Hey!” Leo complained. Rachel started reading again before they could keep the argument going.

**I dodged a spray...worried about that?**

“To be fair, you’ve thought of weirder stuff when you’ve been about to die.” Nico pointed out.

“True.” Percy grinned. “I just had been hoping Annabeth had been working on a plan to get us out of the mess we were in.” 

**How do we kill it?”...The Hydra followed.**

“Drown it?” Will suggested. “The heads would still need to breathe.”

“It would probably have killed us trying that.” Percy said.

**Annabeth moved in...at the arcade.**

There was a lot of chuckling around the room.

“Go Tyson.” Beckendorf smiled.

“That’s hilarious.” Connor laughed.

“And awesome.” Leo added.

“Still, that’s only a temporary solution.” Poseidon said in concern. Every time one son got a breather the other was putting himself in danger.

**But even Tyson couldn’t fend off the Hydra forever.**

“Exactly.” The Sea God nodded.

**We kept inching...thing would kill us.**

“There’s that good old Percy optimism.” Thalia said sarcastically.

“It wasn’t really an optimistic situation.” Percy pointed out. 

**Then I heard a...thirty-two-pounder!”**

“I’m guessing Clarisse found you then?” Reyna asked.

“Yep. Just in time to save their hides.” Clarisse stated.

“I think we repayed that favour.” Annabeth said.

“Whatever, Princess.” 

**I didn’t dare look...enemies on two fronts.**

Ares nodded. There should have been. HIs daughter should have just left the brat to fend for himself.

“Clarisse might not like you but she would attack other campers.” Chiron said.

“Well given my last experiences with Clarisse, forgive me for not quite believing that back then.” Percy said.

“Capture the flag is very different to real life.” The Centaur frowned.

“She made it seem pretty real.” Percy shrugged.

**A gravelly male...“Fire at will, Captain!”**

“He just said they were too close!” Will looked at Clarisse in surprise. He might not get along with the annoying girl but he still couldn’t believe she would risk two other campers like that. Chiron was sending her disappointed looks while Ares nodded his approval.

“Good girl.” He said.

“Do not encourage her to hurt my daughter!” Athena snapped angrily.

“Or my son.” Poseidon added.

“They should have known to get out of the way.” Clarisse said dismissively. “The captain knew what he was doing.”

**Annabeth understood...guts tend to do.**

“That’s disgusting.” Rachel said.

“Be grateful you weren’t covered in it.” Annabeth grimaced.

“I am.” Rachel said.

“At least they vaporize.” Piper said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“Yeah. That is one good thing.” Will nodded.

**“Gross!” screamed Annabeth...guarding Hades’s palace.**

“Well we found the dead confederates but why does Clarisse have a ship full of dead people?” Jason asked.

“Gift from dad.” Clarisse explained.

“Why does Ares have a ship full of dead people?” Leo asked. Clarisse rolled her eyes.

“In every war the dead soldiers from the losing side go to Ares, including their weapons and vehicles. He can then call on them whenever he wants.” Ares studied his daughter. Clearly he had faith in her if he had already given her a spear, that the damn brat had broken, and now a ship for her quest. He hoped that now his daughter was in the story there would be some decent action.

**The ship was an...Come aboard.”**

“Well, you’ve already done the rescuing part.” Reyna pointed out. Clarisse shrugged.

“Chapter is over.” Rachel announced.

“Lunch time.” Chiron said. The demigods all cheered and raced out of the room, except Chris who was caught by Hermes.

“Can we talk?” The God asked. Chris grimaced.

“Yeah ok.” Hermes led his son out of the throne room and towards his own quarters.


	11. Clarisse blows up everything

Once they were in his living room area, Hermes gestured for Chris to sit down. He was more nervous than he could remember being in a long time. There was a long, awkward pause.

“Chris...I…” Hermes trailed off not sure what to say. A minute later he tried again to form words properly. “I’m sorry. For everything. Not claiming you, making you feel forgotten or unimportant. Being busy is no excuse, I know that.” Chris studied his father. He seemed sincere, not giving him false platitudes because he thought that was what Chris wanted to hear.

“I won’t say I understand, because I don’t.” He began and Hermes’ face fell. “But you did claim me in the end and I was an idiot to ever believe that Kronos was any better than you.” Chris swallowed, hard. 

“I will try to do better in the future. I want to do better but it’s hard to change your nature after so long.” Hermes looked down. Chris frowned.

“It might be difficult to begin with but if you really want to make the changes then I think you can.” Hermes nodded. “It just...it hurt that you sent Percy to try and rescue Luke but probably didn’t even know I was missing.” The God looked down in shame. His other kids probably also felt awful that he was seemingly more interested in Luke than them even when he was a traitor. But, it was the fact that his son  _ was _ a traitor. He needed to understand why and try to remedy the situation. It hurt him to realise that, judging by these books, it was too little too late. He did not want it to become that way with Chris.

“I’m sorry. Spending time with you guys here has made me realise what we’ve been missing. I guess, as an immortal, it hurts to get close to your children when you know they will die, usually after a short and brutal life. After a millennia of watching your children die you either have to keep some distance or the pain becomes too much.” He tried to explain. Chris nodded. He hadn’t thought about that before. “Still, I should have claimed you at the very least. There is no excuse for that.”

“Thanks dad. I hadn’t considered the immortal side before. Still, you don’t need to hang out with us all the time, just say hi every once in a while or yeah, claim us.” Hermes nodded. There was a few seconds of silence but it wasn’t as awkward as before. Suddenly all of the resentment Chris had been feeling, the anger, the constant fear he had lived with while on Kronos’ side, and all of his huge amounts of his pain just bubbled up inside him. It mixed with the relief and joy that he felt after the conversation and swirled into a maelstrom that spilled out of him. He stood and rushed at his father. Hermes was confused but held his arms out thinking his son needed some comfort. Instead, Chris began pummelling his chest angrily while also sobbing his heart out. Hermes just let him, taking the blows, which were quite painful now he was mortal, and letting him get the emotions out. Eventually Chris began to tire and slumped against his father’s chest.

“I’m sorry. So, so, sorry for betraying you.” Chris choked out through his continuous sobs.

“Shhhh.” Hermes said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. It had been such a long time since he was actually able to comfort his children that he was quite out of practise. “It’s ok. Everyone makes mistakes and yours was somewhat justified. But you realised you were wrong and came back. I can’t ask for more than that.” Chris’ sobs became even noisier and Hermes could feel the tears coming even faster. He began to panic, thinking he had said something wrong.

“Thanks, dad.” Chris finally whispered once he got himself mostly under control again. Hermes let out a sigh of relief. Eventually the demigod fell asleep having cried himself to exhaustion. Hermes stood and carried his son into the room he had been staying in. He placed him in the bed and pulled the covers over him. Then he sat himself down in a nearby chair and watched his son sleep. He would not leave until he woke back up. Without thinking, he reached a hand out and smooth back some hair that had fallen over Chris’s forehead. The boy let out a hum that, to Hermes, sounded happy enough so he continued to run his hands through Chris’ hair.

************************************************

In the dining room, Will made his way over to where Nico was sitting, picking at his plate. He took a seat next to him, ignoring the boy’s look of surprise.

“Why are you all the way over here?” 

“It’s quieter. I’m not used to being around so many people for so long.” Nico explained. His expression was closed off and probably meant Will should go but he was determined to show the son of Hades that he couldn’t scare everyone away from him forever.

“Well, if you stay at camp then you’ll get used to it.” 

“I don’t want to stay at camp.” 

“Why not?” 

“They won’t want me there. I’ll just be taking up more space in the Hermes cabin because my dad doesn’t even have a cabin there.” Nico’s voice became quite bitter towards the end of his sentence.

“Yeah. That sucks.” Will frowned. “Maybe we could speak to the Gods and convince them to make you a cabin.”

“Good luck with that.” Nico scoffed.

“It can’t hurt to try. We could speak to my dad first, maybe Hermes and Poseidon. Get them on our side before we go to Zeus.” Will suggested. “My dad and Hermes get on with Hades alright. Poseidon might be an issue but I’m sure we can convince Percy to talk to his dad for us. If we get Poseidon on our side then he can probably persuade Mr D to support us, given how angry Poseidon has been at him recently.” He dropped in Percy’s name to watch Nico’s reaction. The younger boy scowled briefly before sighing and closing his eyes like he was in pain.

“I don’t want to ask Percy.”

“Why not?” 

“I...it’s complicated but it’ll probably come up in the books.” Nico groaned as he said this as if he was only just realising this fact. “Basically I wrongly blamed him for Bianca’s death and then acted like a complete jerk even when he tried to help me out. I don’t know how he can stand to talk to me let alone possibly…” He suddenly stopped talking and clammed up. Will frowned. Yeah. Nico one hundred percent had a crush on Percy.

“I bet Percy doesn’t hold a grudge.” Will said fairly. He didn’t usually. “Besides, you’ve been getting along with him great during the readings.” 

“Yeah but that’s just different.” Nico said wistfully. “I’m sure it’ll be different once I’m in it anyway. He’s always on edge around me, he tries to hide it but I can tell. Besides, once we read about when they find me, he’ll be reminded how annoying I am and what a jerk I was to him.”

“You were cute, not annoying.” Will corrected, recalling the hyperactive kid from a couple of years ago. Nico glared. He was  _ not _ cute! “Besides, you might be surprise as to how Percy feels about it. From what I can tell in his thoughts, he seems to like taking the blame for everything that goes wrong. Maybe he blames himself for Bianca dying and that’s why he’s on edge around you. He probably feels bad for letting you down. That seems like a Percy thing to do.” Nico’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Yeah, Maybe.” He sounded hopeful and Will sighed inwardly. “Thanks, Will.” He smiled slightly and then reached over tentatively before squeezing Will’s arm. It was so gentle that had Will not been looking at the hand squeezing him, he would not have noticed a thing but it was progress. As far as he could tell, it was pretty rare for Nico to initiate contact with another human being. Will beamed widely at him.

**************************************

Percy sat down next to Annabeth and piled his plate as high as it would go.

“What?” He asked through a mouthful of pizza, grinning when Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“Seriously. Where do you put all that food?” She asked.

“I’m a growing boy.” He said with a shrug. “Besides, Thalia eats the same amount I do.”

“I wonder the same thing about her.” 

“What’s that about me?” Thalia asked, sitting down opposite the two of them.

“I was wondering how on Olympus you and Percy can eat so much.” Annabeth said. Thalia shrugged. “I’m an immortal hunter. Works up an appetite. Dunno what his excuse is.”

“How are you doing...with your thoughts being read out and stuff?” Annabeth asked Percy after a few minutes of them all eating.

“It sucks.” Percy said fervently. “I hate it. But, if it saves some lives and gives us the advantage against Kronos then it’s worth it. The worst bit is that it’s not just my private thoughts. Some of the conversations I have with you are pretty private too. And some of the stuff I talk to Thalia about on our next quest.”

“Oh crap. I forgot about that.” Thalia groaned. “I’m gonna kill you Jackson. I’ll never live it down.” 

“Oh please, everybody is too scared of you to laugh at you.” Percy scoffed. “But remember that while we read the next few chapters because one of them is going to be horrendously embarrassing for me.” 

“Yeah.” Annabeth smirked. “You made a cute…” Percy threw a hand over her mouth.

“Shut up.” He scowled.

“I’ll find out anyway.” Thalia pointed out. Percy sighed. He supposed if she got her laughter out of the way now maybe it wouldn’t be as bad when they read it. He gave her the cliff notes version and she burst out laughing. Thankfully she kept it short and regained control of herself pretty quickly. Percy scowled.

“Don’t worry, cousin. I won’t let the rest of them laugh too much. Picking on you is mine and Annabeth’s job.” 

“Feel free to give that job up.” Percy grumbled.

“Na.” Annabeth laughed. “It’s too much fun.”

“For you.”

“Obviously.” He gave her a shove with his shoulder and she nudged him back. Just then Apollo came and sat down on Percy’s other side. 

“How’s it going?” The Sun God asked. 

“Alright.” Percy said, giving the God a weird look. Why wasn’t he bothering Will?

“Because he’s over there speaking with Hades’ kid.” He said, answering the unasked question. “They looked quite cosy so I figured I’d give them some privacy.” Apollo smirked. Percy looked over and sure enough, Nico was actually reaching over to squeeze Will’s arm. Percy had never seen Nico willingly touch someone other than Bianca. One the other hand, maybe it was just him Nico hated. “Hermes is off with Chris so I thought I would come and bother you guys.”

“Aren’t we lucky.” Thalia said dryly.

“Yes.” Apollo replied and Percy could tell the God was actually being serious. He suppressed a snort at the size of his ego.

“Didn’t I already tell you that you aren’t awesome?” Percy asked with a grin.

“I still owe you for that.” Apollo said and something in his voice made Percy a little nervous. Apollo had millenia of practise in getting revenge. Thankfully he was mortal for the time being so no godly pranks would be played. He could cope with anything else. “I’ll change your mind eventually.”

“Never.” Percy vowed dramatically. “You will forever be the unawesome God Apollo.”

“I should smite you for such an insult.” Apollo said but Percy could tell he was teasing. He smirked.

“If you did that then who would put up with your dismal attempts to teach them archery?” Percy asked.

  
“My attempts are not dismal. You’ve actually hit the target.” Percy then noticed Thalia was looking between the two of them with an expression he couldn’t quite make out but definitely didn’t like. Suddenly her expression turned thoughtful and she spoke up.

“Yeah, let’s face it if Apollo has managed to get you to hit a target then he can’t be that bad of a teacher.”

“You’re welcome to take lessons.” Percy said.

“I’m a hunter of Artemis. I don’t need shooting lessons.” She said haughtily with a teasing grin. 

“Alright driving lessons then.” Her grin disappeared.

“Shut up. We do not speak of that ever again.” She glared.

“It’ll probably come up in the book.” Percy smirked.

“Crap.” She groaned. Apollo and Annabeth both looked confused but the other two did not elaborate. 

“Time to get back to the reading.” Another voice sounded behind them. Glancing over his shoulder, Percy saw his dad standing there. They all stood up, Percy shovelling one last slice of pizza into his mouth, and headed back towards the throne room. Thalia continued to sit between Jason and Annabeth so Grover sat next to Percy with Poseidon on the other side. Rachel was next to Grover with Nico and Hades completing their couch.

“I think that everybody has read, or at least those who will, so I shall read again.” Chiron announced. He picked up the book and thumbed to the correct page.

**Clarisse Blows up Everything.**

“Of course she does.” Chris said fondly. He was once again sitting next to Hermes with Clarisse on his other side now. Connor sat next to his dad with Travis on his other side, sitting beside Will and then Apollo. 

“That’s my girl.” Ares nodded approvingly. Clarisse puffed out her chest proudly at her dad’s praise. “Finally, some proper action.” He added.

“What do you call the hydra?” Aphrodite asked.

“A warm up.” He shrugged.

**“You are in so...explode any minute.**

“Not quite yet.” Percy muttered to himself.

**We’d seen the pilothouse...fire celestial bronze cannon balls.**

“That’s impressive.” Reyna whistled appreciatively.

“They are awesome.” Clarisse grinned happily.

**Everywhere we...too thrilled about.**

“That was nice of you to do it anyway, even with your history with Cyclopes.” Beckendorf smiled at Annabeth.

“I admit Tyson was already growing on me.” She said. 

“It’s hard not to adore Tyson.” Rachel said. Poseidon smiled, glad that his son was accepted.

**Finally, we were...hunger overruled my fear.**

“Of course it did.” Grover chuckled. “It always does.”

“Er, who almost blew his cover for enchiladas?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. Grover went red.

“Yes..well...those were enchiladas. They are worth it.” He replied finally.

**“Tantalus expelled...told us smugly.**

“Good thing he won’t be around for long then.” Connor muttered. A few of the Greeks threw Clarisse some dirty looks for siding with Tantalus. Even Clarisse grimaced.

**“Mr. D said if any...with his SUV.”**

“That would be far too much work for Mr D.” Percy scoffed. Dionysus glared at him.

“Mr D has a SUV?” Travis asked in surprise.

“Yes but he doesn’t keep it at camp so don’t get any ideas.” Chiron told him. Travis and Connor both groaned in disapproval.

“As you’re alive, I assume he didn’t do that in the end?” Jason asked.

“No. We helped save camp and got Chiron reinstated so Chiron made sure we weren’t punished.” Annabeth explained.

“I wouldn’t have let him turn you into any animals anyway.” Chiron stated. “Nor would Poseidon or Athena.”

**“Did they give...with sea power?**

“Well no, it just surprised me that Ares gave you a ship at all. We had to find our own transport for our quest.” Percy shrugged.

“Normally you are supposed to find your own transport but for sea voyages normally you get some form of help.” Chiron said.

**The spirits on the...Won’t you, Captain?”**

“You’re enjoying this way too much, you know that right?” Will pointed out.

“Of course I am. Nothing like leading your own army.” Clarisse said.

“I lead a cabin and that’s enough for me.”

“A cabin of musicians and medics. Hardly an army.” She scoffed.

“For one thing we’re damn good at archery. Most of your army wouldn’t even get near us without being shot down.” Will glared. He was sick of Clarisse thinking she was superior simply because she could fight well. Percy could beat her in a fight and he didn’t constantly make everyone else feel inferior. Not deliberately anyway. It was kind of hard not to feel inferior to Percy sometimes when he used his powers so casually. “Besides I never said they were an army, just that leading a cabin was enough for me. I don’t particularly care for ordering people around just because I can.” 

Clarisse opened her mouth to retort but Chiron started reading, cutting off her reply. She scowled at the Centaur.

**The captain stood...I like that.”**

“Good attitude.” Ares grinned maniacally.

“You would.” Annabeth rolled her eyes at Clarisse.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Princess?” 

“Just that destroying everything isn’t alway the answer.” 

“Of course it is.”

“Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.” Percy quoted with a smug smile. Clarisse and Ares both glared at him furiously.

“Shut up, Prissy.” Clarisse growled.

**Tyson gulped...out of the water.”**

“Of course you will.” Ares said confidently.

“How ridiculous.” Artemis rolled her eyes. “For one thing that ship moves much faster than a regular ship so you would likely have quite a lot of trouble hitting it.”

“Not to mention that the ship contains the remains of the Titan Lord. He will obviously have taken precautions against such attacks.” Athena added, giving Ares a look that quite clearly said she thought he was being utterly stupid.

“Sometimes you just have to keep shooting until things blow up.” Ares shrugged easily.

“Only if you do not have the brains to think of an easier solution.” Athena scoffed. “Not everything is solved that way.”

  
“I swear we literally just heard this argument with Clarisse and Percy.” Travis muttered to Connor. Chiron kept reading over the still arguing Gods.

**“You don’t understand,”...steal my chance.”**

“Definitely not.” Ares scowled. That upstart sea brat would not take his daughter’s glory.

“That is your pride talking.” Athena told the girl. Clarisse scowled but nodded.

“They don’t care about the glory. They want to save camp. Plus, the entire thing was their idea the only reason you even got the quest is because you were Tantalus’ favourite little pet.” Will sneered. He was sick of her attitude. This quest should have been to save the camp and therefore all of their lives but Clarisse only cared about herself. As usual. Clarisse’s face turned purple with rage. Mostly because she couldn’t deny Will’s words. Had it not been for Tantalus, Annabeth would likely have led the quest, as Percy had led the one the year before. 

Chris held her back, stopping her from lunging at the son of Apollo.

“Enough.” Chiron said sharply. “Will, regardless of the circumstances, the quest was given to Clarisse. She has every right to lead it as she sees fit and she was well aware of how important it was to save the camp. However, Clarisse, a good leader knows when to accept help and when not to let pride get in the way.” He fixed both of them with a glare until they each nodded. Then he began reading again.

**“Where are your...To protect the camp.”**

“Your siblings didn’t want to help?” Ares asked in confusion. Not only was this quest a chance for glory for his cabin, they should also know better than to let their leader go off alone. He thought back to when her cabin didn’t tell her that she had a stupid note on her back. Clearly she didn’t have much control over her cabin mates. Clarisse glared at the floor. Her stupid cabin mates hadn’t wanted to go on a quest that was sponsored by Tantalus. They were pleased to get the glory for their cabin but didn’t want to actually go on the quest in case they were seen as sucking up to Tantalus as well. She heard what everyone whispered behind her back but to maintain her reputation she didn’t react like she wanted to. Instead she put up with it, including the lack of respect given to her, and got on with her job, no fuss.

**“You mean even...need them! Or you!”**

“Yeah. You kinda did.” Percy said. Clarisse glared at him. She did not need to be seen as a failure in front of her dad. Not when he was finally proud of her. He seemed to get the message and gave her a nod. For the first time, she was glad he had been there to help her with her brothers and the chariot. It felt good to have someone else know just how much her father scared her. Not that she would ever admit it.  _ Ever _ . 

“You always need comrades watching your back.” Ares told her.

“I had the confederates.” Clarisse pointed out. “But yeah, I did need their help too.”

“It all worked out. Eventually.” Annabeth said.

**“Clarisse,” I said...you up to fail.”**

“That sounds about right.” Demeter snorted scornfully. 

“He wants camp destroyed, what better way than to send you with no help?” Beckendorf pointed out gently. Clarisse frowned. It did make sense but Tantalus couldn’t have known about her prophecy. Could he?

**“No! I don’t care...ears turned pink.**

“Something about failing is my guess.” Apollo said.

**“All you need...with enemy spies.”**

“Enemy spies? You’re the one working for Tantalus. If anyone is likely to be a spy it’s you.” Will scoffed. Clarisse snarled at him, while Chris hugged her tightly. Will smirked to himself, glad to work out a bit of his frustration at her. She was constantly belittling him and the Apollo Cabin so it was nice to get revenge. Then he caught sight of Chiron’s expression and straightened his face into a neutral look.

“You’re really enjoying being in charge, aren’t you?” Reyna asked with a smile.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re in charge of that Roman camp by the sounds of it. That’s like being in charge of an army.”

“I am. And I agree, it can be good fun. But it’s better with someone to share the burden with.” Reyna said gently. She had struggled a lot with Jason gone. Especially with Octavian around.

**The dream came as soon as I fell asleep.**

“Oh good.” Poseidon sighed. His son’s dreams were unlikely to improve his mood.

**Grover was sitting...Cyclops bellowed, “Aha!”**

“Busted.” Leo and Percy said in sing-song voices that were far too cheerful for Grover’s liking.

“Ut oh. Grover’s been caught in the act.” Thalia cringed, speaking at the same time as the other two.

“As long as he doesn’t realise you’re a Faun...I mean Satyr.” Gwen said.

**Grover yelped...high heels on his hooves.**

“You wore high heels? Pfffft.” Connor and Travis both burst out laughing and the rest of the room weren’t far behind.

“I couldn’t exactly show him my hooves.” Grover replied, blushing furiously. “Besides, I needed to look taller. I’m not exactly Cyclops height.”

“I doubt you were anything close to Cyclops height even in high heels.” Piper said, stifling another round of laughter.

**His veil kept...to come off.**

A lot of people were biting their lips or pretending to cough, trying not to laugh out of respect for Grover. He was already an unhealthy shade of red.

**The Cyclops pulled...and action figures.**

“That Cyclops is a bit obsessed with sheep.” Leo whistled.

“You have no idea.” Grover and Clarisse replied.

“Where did he get a recliner in Cyclops size and a tv?” Jason asked.

“Do monsters have stores?” Leo asked.

“Why would you ask that?” Piper looked at her friend weirdly.

“Usually they steal stuff but I suppose there might be a monster store of all the stuff they have stolen.” Beckendorf said thoughtfully.

**The floor was...looking for Pan.**

Grover flinched. Hermes and Dionysus both scowled while Poseidon was frowning. He did not like the fact that so many Satyrs had died because of his son. As a general rule, he quite liked Satyrs and he had liked Pan before he disappeared. Not to mention that Pan’s domain crossed over with his a little so the loss of Pan had affected the oceans too.

**Polyphemus set Grover...copper and silver coins.**

“That sounds amazing.” Reyna said.

“The magic of the golden fleece.” Grover sighed wistfully.

“So what would happen if you take the fleece?” Gwen asked.

“The island would slowly return to its natural state. It used to be really nice but over the years Polyphemus ruined it.” Silena explained.

**And at the center...would be for a satyr.**

“Yeah.” Grover said dreamily.

**Grover whimpered...Satyrs good eating! And now—”**

Poseidon sighed deeply. Some of his children really were monstrous. He knew it was in their nature but still…

“Did you kill him?” Dionysus asked through gritted teeth. He may not treat Satyrs the best but he still cared for them. They were his last connection to his best friend.

“No.” Percy said. “But we took the fleece so no other Satyrs will get lured there to their death.”

“Hardly a good enough punishment.” He grumbled.

**Polyphemus scooped...Not to worry.**

“At least he didn’t realise you were doing it deliberately.” Piper said slowly. She couldn’t believe the Cyclops was that stupid.

**That thread will solve problem. Finish wedding train by tomorrow!”**

“How did you reach Grover in one day?” Hazel asked.

“Or was Grover married when you found him?” Hermes asked with a chuckle.

“No, we reached him in time but it was very difficult.” Percy said.

“I can’t believe we actually did it in a day. It felt like so much longer.” Annabeth said. She thought about how much they still had to do before reaching Grover. It was hard to believe they managed it all in one day.

**“Isn’t that… thoughtful of you!”...for my benefit.**

“Is that an empathy link thing?” Gwen asked. 

“Yeah. It’s pretty useful.” Grover said.

“And potentially deadly.” Poseidon muttered quietly. 

**“What would...“Pets?”**

“He has pets? He doesn’t seem the type.” Leo asked.

“Yeah. You’ll see.” Annabeth said.

“I would guess sheep given his obsession but sheep wouldn’t stop people attacking.” Dakota frowned.

**Grover looked...get through me!”**

“There is that part.” Jason acknowledged.

**He pounded his fist...is that girl?”**

“What’s gone wrong now?” Jason groaned.

“Where’s the action?” Ares asked in frustration.

“Coming up. We’re at the entrance to the Sea of Monsters.” Percy said. Poseidon paled whereas Ares looked excited.

**Then his ghostly face...the CSS Birmingham.**

“You know, you always seem to know exactly when you won’t be spending another night in a place.” Will frowned. “It’s kind of creepy given that you’re not prophetic.” Apollo studied Percy.

“Yeah. There is always a line about how you didn’t think you’d be seeing the place again for a while or something like that.” The God said, thinking back. “Impressive.” 

“I’m sure it’s just me being pessimistic.” Percy shrugged.

“That’s a good point.” Frank nodded.

**I was on my...down into the boiler deck.**

“You did what?” Clarisse yelled angrily. This was a private moment. A deeply private moment that nobody else was supposed to have seen. So of course stupid Jackson would have found out. 

“Sorry.” Percy winced. He had forgotten about this.

“I’m going to murder you, Jackson! How much did you hear?”

“A fair bit.” He admitted. She looked murderous. Now everybody was going to find out she was scared of her own father. Her dad, who had just started acting like he was proud of her, was going to be horrified. Plus she didn’t need the rest of camp finding out. 

“You had no right! You just had to eavesdrop. Couldn’t help yourself huh?” She raged.

“What’s going on?” Chris asked, looking between the two of them.

“Thanks to Jackson, you’re about to find out.” Clarisse snarled. She did not want to listen to this, or the comments others were sure to make but her pride would not let her leave. She would suck it up and move on, like she always did. Chris wrapped an arm around her and hugged her tightly.

**Clarisse was standing...Ares, the god of war.**

“Feeling’s mutual, Punk.” Ares glared.

“Why are you appearing on yet another quest?” Zeus looked angrily at his son. “You’re not supposed to be interfering.”

“It’s not like he was helping.” Percy growled.

**“I don’t want excuses...sons take this quest.”**

“ARES!” Aphrodite yelled angrily, right in his ear. 

“She was being polite and respectful, that is not pathetic.” Hera told her son sternly. 

“Tell me,  _ brother _ , what is wrong with your daughter completing the quest?” Artemis glared at Ares. He gulped nervously.

“N...nothing wrong.” He said. 

“Your sons didn’t even want to go on this quest to back up their cabin leader.” Silena said. “Plus she’s the best fighter of your children, including your sons.” She spat the words ‘sons’. Ares glared but didn’t say anything given the amount of glares he was receiving.

**“I’ll succeed!”...WHAT IT SAID!”**

“That’s stupid of you. You can’t avoid what the Oracle says.” Apollo rolled his eyes. “It sounds like Clarisse won’t succeed without some kind of help. That’s not her fault that is just how it is.”

“Your dislike of Percy is blinding you.” Athena said. Ares snarled. He still didn’t care. The brat had humiliated him, he would not allow him to take his daughter’s glory. 

**Ares bellowed with...Clarisse flinched.**

Now every single person was staring at Ares in anger, even Chiron. He knew more of Clarisse’s struggles at camp than anyone and hearing how her father treated her explained quite a bit to him. Clarisse was staring at the floor, trying desperately to sink into the couch and disappear. All of the Gods were staring at him. While they knew Ares was vicious and bloodthirsty, they didn’t realise he would go so far as to threaten his own child.

“You would threaten your own child?” Hera stared at her son in disappointment. Then she sniffed in disdain. “I suppose it’s not really a surprise. What else do we expect from a God of War?”

“Do not excuse him!” Silena yelled. “Being a God of War has absolutely nothing to do with threatening to hit your children.” Her mother nodded, looking at Ares as if seeing him in a whole new light.

“And you wonder why your children turn against you!” Chris yelled furiously. The Gods just kept giving them more reasons to hate them. “How dare you belittle her and threaten her!”

“You’re a jerk.” Percy said, glaring at Ares. He might not like Clarisse but he knew what it was like to live in fear and nobody deserves that. He stood up and moved over to where Clarisse was huddled against Chris, looking like she wanted nothing more than to sink through the floor. It was so unlike her to hide from anything that it made him even angrier. Every other Greek demigod stood up and they all stood in front of Clarisse and Chris, standing between her and Ares.

“Clarisse, has your dad ever actually hit you?” Chirs asked quietly, though his voice shook slightly from suppressed anger. 

“No. He just liked to threaten quite a lot.” Clarisse mumbled.

“I would never actually hit my daughter.” Ares said with a frown. He might be a strict father but he didn’t hit his children. All the demigods’ glares intensified. They were furious. Wasn’t it bad enough that Ares was as much of an absent father as most other Gods but if he did show up it was just to threaten Clarisse. Did he not realise how much pressure there was on demigod kids to please their parents? They would do anything to please their parents, even if it meant becoming the camp bully because her father was a bully. 

“That doesn’t mean you can threaten her either.” Will said furiously. He was doing a lot of recalculating about his opinion of Clarisse. While it still angered him how she talked about and treated his Cabin, he guessed that Ares’ own attitude was clearly a large contributing factor. Plus, while there was pressure on every demigod child to please their parents, clearly Clarisse was under much more pressure than anyone else.

“Guys. Leave it.” Clarisse’s voice came from behind them. “I can handle it.”

“Your dad is…” Chris began.

“I know.” She said quietly. “And I appreciate it but I can handle myself.” They frowned but nodded. It was her choice and now she knew they would all be there for her. Chris kissed her forehead as everyone else returned to their seats.

Frank was gaping at his father in awed disgust. He had been horrified when he found out that Mars was his father and this was just making it worse. How did he get stuck with the worst Olympian to be his father? Never had he more wished for Apollo to have claimed him. The other Romans were also looking at the God in surprise. They had already noticed that the Greek versions of the Gods were very different from their Roman counterparts but this...this was beyond anything they had expected. They could not wrap their heads around the idea that Mars would threaten to strike a child, let alone his own child. Even when he had threatened to turn Percy into an animal on their last quest, it had still been provoked by his disrespect. It was also different from actually hitting his own daughter. They had never understood how the Greeks could be so disrespectful to the Gods but now some of their anger was starting to make sense. 

Chiron began reading again but anger laced his every word. Ares sunk down on his couch, which was now empty as everyone, including Aphrodite, refused to sit anywhere near him. She was now sitting with Hephaestus who looked quite surprised but pleased with this turn of events.

**“Do we understand...ready the cannons.**

This change of topic was a rather good thing as if the conversation had gone on any longer Ares might have been pulverised.

**I crept back from...dream about Grover.**

“Bothers me more now.” Percy muttered. 

**Clarisse came...splotches in the distance.**

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. He knew which entrance to the Sea of Monsters they were heading for and he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t going to end well. Charybdis and Scylla were both too big to be destroyed easily. Judging by the chapter title the daughter of Ares was going to attempt to just outright attack them which wouldn’t work. He could only hope his son came up with one of his plans that almost gave him a heart attack but usually worked anyway.

**My nautical senses...meant for deep water.”**

“Who wants to bet she won’t listen?” Beckendorf muttered. He might feel pretty bad for Clarisse but that didn’t mean he had to like her prideful attitude.

**I wasn’t sure...the Sea of Monsters.**

“That’s not the only way.” Poseidon said. “There are always the Symplegades. If the ship is faster than a regular mortal ship it might make it.”

“Too risky.” Clarisse shrugged.

  
“Riskier than what happened?” Percy muttered. Clarisse glared at him.

**Straight between...not want to meet.**

“Really? You didn’t know about Charybdis and Scylla?” Nico asked.

“Vaguely. Chiron mentioned them at some point but I didn’t remember.” Percy said easily.

“Do you ever bother with your studies?” Athena sneered. Any hope she had for the sea spawn was being quickly dashed. 

“It’s easier for me to learn as I go along.” Percy shrugged.

**“What do you mean...on the other hand…”**

“You can’t blow them up either.” Poseidon rolled his eyes. “Charybdis is too powerful, one ship will not do enough damage to do anything other than annoy her. As for Scylla, well she’s too high up to really be able to hit her, even with cannons.”

“Wish I knew that earlier.” Clarisse muttered to herself.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if you did know. You would still have thought that blowing stuff up was the best way to go.” Annabeth frowned.

**“You are crazy,”...course for Charybdis!”**

“Definitely the wrong choice.” Athena said. “Given that most of your crew is undead and Percy can control the ship, you’d be better off getting below deck, leaving the soldiers for bait and sailing close to the cliffs by Scylla. 

The trio looked at each other. That sounded like a much better plan than Clarisse’s one. Although, pretty much any other plan would have been better.

**“Aye, m’lady.”...blow her to Tartarus!”**

The Wisdom Goddess shook her head in disapproval. Ares was nodding his head at his daughter’s reasoning but didn’t want to speak up and get attention directed back to him. 

“At least tell me that Percy controlled the sea for smooth passage?” Beckendorf asked.

“I couldn’t control the sea very well there.” Percy frowned.

“Charybdis would be more powerful than Percy and have complete control over her area, second only to me.” Poseidon explained.

**She said it...wanted to believe her.**

“Being excited by the prospect does not make it true or even possible.” Athena scoffed. This demigod was clearly too much like her father in her pride. She thought that strength would win every fight and Athena hoped it would not be her downfall.

**The engine...in the wind.**

“Don’t tell me the ship blows up too?” Thalia groaned.

“Not yet.” Percy sighed, recalling when he thought Tyson was dead.

**As we got closer...toilet being flushed.**

“Oh, ew. Now I’m picturing a giant toilet as the entrance to the Sea of Monsters.” Piper wrinkled her nose.

“I love Percy’s brain.” Leo laughed. He had spent his few days at camp hearing stories about how great this Percy guy was and had come to think of him as almost a legend. Now, having spent a few days reading his thoughts, he could appreciate that he was just a guy. A really funny guy. He actually thought a lot like Leo and that made him happy. At least someone understood his sense of humour.

**Every time Charybdis inhaled...by ten-foot waves.**

“Urgh.” Hazel said, looking a little green. “I’m not even on the boat and I’m feeling sea sick.” Frank tentatively put an arm around her and rubbed her back. Nico frowned and glared at the son of Ares/Mars. He noticed that they were quite close but now he wondered if they were together.

**I tried to time the...awfully good to me.**

“Wow.” Annabeth said, raising her eyebrows. “You actually managed to time the whirlpool?” 

“Yeah. What were you doing?” Percy asked.

“Trying not to throw up to be honest. I never realised I got seasick but that was not fun.” 

“I would have already been throwing up. Or passed out.” Hazel said.

“I would have been striking her with lightning.” Thalia said.

  
“That might have been useful.” Clarisse said. 

“No. Charybdis absolutely hates children of Zeus because he cursed her. She would then have completely focused on utterly destroying you.” Poseidon told her.

“Wasn’t she already focused on that?” Percy asked

“No. She is mostly just stopping you from getting into the Sea of Monsters. While she will attack, she doesn’t particularly care. With a child of Zeus on board, she would actively want you all in pieces.” Poseidon explained. Thalia grimaced.

**Undead sailors...thermos full of wind?”**

“Definitely not a good idea.” Poseidon spoke up once more. “More wind would make matters much worse.”

“Although that might have been able to help you get past the smashing cliffs at the other entrance.” Apollo mused.

“I didn’t know Percy had it.” Clarisse said.

“And even if you did, you wouldn’t have accepted help from us.” Percy pointed out.

**I nodded...I said miserably.**

“That must have been horrible.” Thalia said sympathetically. She couldn’t imagine having her powers not work for her.

“It was.” Percy nodded. He had felt like such a failure. I was supposed to be his home turf and he was completely useless.

**“We need a backup plan,”...a mighty roaaar!**

Despite the situation a few people chuckled at Percy’s brain.

**The ship lurched forward...in the whirlpool.**

Poseidon cringed. That was not good. Athena leaned forward a little, desperately wanting to know how her daughter got out of this mess.

**“Full reverse!”...starboard cannons!”**

“That won’t work. You are in Charybdis’ whirlpool and it will be too strong for you to reverse.” Hermes said.

“You’ll likely just blow up the ship trying given what the Cyclops said.” Hephaestus grunted. Clarisse sighed. 

**Dead Confederates...get in range!”**

“That won’t help. You can’t destroy her with your fire power.” Apollo reiterated.

“I know that now.” Clarisse said through gritted teeth.

**“We’re going in too fast,”...“It’s too dangerous!”**

“Yes, it’s too dangerous.” Poseidon said tightly. 

“Tyson is immune to fire but not to the damage that would be done if the engine blows up while he is down there.” Beckendorf explained to Leo who was slightly confused.

**He patted my hand...stuck between them.**

“She needs one big makeover.” Aphrodite wrinkled her nose in disgust. “In fact, I’m not sure even I can help her.”

“That’s disgusting.” Jason said.

“Why do you have to be so descriptive?” Silena asked.

“Sorry. I notice weird stuff.” Percy grinned.

**Charybdis was an...“Again!” Clarisse ordered.**

“It’s clearly not working!” Will pointed out. 

**The gunners reloaded...away from the mouth.**

“Thank the Gods you took Tyson with you on this quest.” Beckendorf said.

“Yeah.” Chris breathed out. He knew Clarisse and the others survived but it didn’t stop him being worried.

**“Tyson did it!” Annabeth...have to move away.”**

“Listen to Percy.” Apollo said seriously.

**I gripped the rail...on a carnival game.**

“Oh.” Hazel closed her eyes, trying to will back the sickness.

“Don’t tell me you guys sunk?” Connor asked.

“Not quite.” Percy said grimly.

**We were thrown...of the strait.**

“I didn’t realise you were using your powers.” Annabeth frowned.

“To be honest there was so much going on, I wasn’t sure you would be able to concentrate and use your powers.” Clarisse shrugged.

“We would have definitely capsized had I not used them.” Percy replied shortly. 

**Another smoldering...how much longer.”**

“Tyson is good.” Leo whistled.

  
“Yeah. He’s amazing.” Beckendorf nodded.

**The captain said...Clarisse yelled.**

“Yes!” Yelled everyone else, except Ares.

**“We have no...leather boots.**

“Oh fantastic. You barely made it away from Charybdis and ended up next to Scylla.” Hermes groaned.

“They are still on the mortal side of the sea. They need to get past one of them somehow.” Artemis pointed out.

**“Scylla!” a sailor...way too slow.**

“Wow.” Travis said. “If Percy was too slow, the guy who can slash Hunter’s arrows out of the air, I don’t even want to know how fast you would need to be to hit Scylla.” 

“Impossibly fast.” Poseidon nodded.

**“Everyone get...is in flames.”**

“So, not only are you trapped between Scylla and Charybdis, you’re in the middle of the ocean on a burning ship.” Chris summed up,

“How are you three alive?” Hermes asked.

“Honestly, we aren’t sure.” Percy shrugged.

**“Lifeboats!” Annabeth said...thermos. “I’ll get Tyson.”**

“Bad idea.” Athena warned. 

“Scylla can only pick up one person at a time. She targets those on their own so you would have a better chance if you stay in a group.” Hermes said.

“Well...that’s good to know for future reference.” Percy said with an innocent grin.

“Oh no. You are going nowhere near the Sea of Monsters again.” Poseidon told his son firmly.

**“You can’t!” she said. “The heat will kill you!”**

“Na. It can’t be any worse than…” Percy trailed off. No need to bring that up quite yet.

“Any worse than what?” Poseidon asked his son.

“You’ll find out.” Percy told his dad.

**I didn’t listen...from my face.**

“You were attacked by Scylla?” Thalia yelled.

  
“Yep. But clearly, I was not eaten.” Percy tried to reassure her.

“How in Hades did you get away?” Grover asked. This part had not been mentioned in the later retelling. Hades grumbled about people using his name as a curse.

“If you would stop interrupting and let Chiron read, you’d find out.” Percy grinned. They both glared at him.

**Scylla had somehow...beady yellow eye.**

“Nice.” Jason grinned.

“You actually stabbed Scylla in the eye?” Nico said in astonishment.

“Yep.” Percy nodded.

“Awesome.” Connor grinned.

**She grunted...exploded below me.**

“WHAT?” Poseidon and Athena shouted together. Even Ares looked concerned.

“Were you ok?” He asked quietly. Clarisse avoided his gaze but nodded.

“Nothing permanent.” She said.

**KAROOM!...across the ocean.**

“Good thinking.” Athena told her daughter.

“Well that explains how you actually managed to live.” Poseidon said weakly.

“Please tell me you guys actually managed to cross in to the Sea of Monsters after all of that?” Thalia asked.

“Yeah. We all made it across thanks to Annabeth.” Percy nodded.

“What about Tyson?” Rachel asked, though she knew he survived she could not imagine how given where he was when the ship exploded.

“He made it but we didn’t find him for quite a while.” Percy smiled. Poseidon let out a sigh of relief.

**I couldn’t see anything...were able to drown.**

_ ‘Again’ _ Poseidon thought in horror. That’s now both books so far in which his son wished he was able to drown. Thalia was immediately moving across to Percy and pulling him into a huge hug while also slapping him over the head.

“Percy?” Poseidon said.

“Let’s just read.” Percy said quickly. 

“I think it’s my turn.” Beckendorf spoke up, while eyeing Percy with worry. Chiron gave him the book, feeling miserable. How had he missed Percy’s state of mind? He had not noticed the abuse at the hands of his stepfather and he also had missed the fact that he wanted to die. He felt like a terrible mentor. 

“No, this is the second…” Poseidon began.

“Honestly dad, it was a reaction to thinking Tyson was dead. I was fine.” Percy tried to sound reassuring. Nobody argued with him but several people were making mental notes to speak with him at some point. Poseidon gave him a look that made Percy well aware they would be discussing this once more during the next break. He sighed. Thankfully Beckendorf began reading.


	12. We Check in to C.C. Spa and Resort

Percy groaned and threw his head back against the couch. He was  _ not _ looking forward to reliving this. He wasn’t sure if it was possible to die from embarrassment but he got the feeling he would be finding out very shortly. Poseidon looked at his son in concern. Clearly something not good was going to happen. He hoped it wasn’t life threatening. He needed a break from the constant stress.

Reyna bit her lip. She wondered if she was going to be mentioned in this chapter. As far as she recalled, she had only spoken with Annabeth and, as it was from Percy’s point of view, she might not make an appearance. Part of her wanted to know exactly what had gone so wrong on that particular day but she was also not looking forward to reliving some of the most terrifying days of her life. She did remember Circe saying something about vitamins and Annabeth being immune to magic but that got forgotten in the chaos of having a bunch of bloodthirsty pirates appear without any warning.

“You went to a resort?” Leo asked.

“Yeah.” Percy grimaced.

“More importantly, why is there a resort in the Sea of Monsters?” Piper asked. “Surely it’s a trap.” 

“Yeah.” Annabeth admitted. “But it wasn’t completely by choice. We had lost our ship and Clarisse and Tyson were still missing.”

**I woke up in a...“Percy, I’m really sorry.”**

Percy and Poseidon both looked down. Even though they knew Tyson was alive, it was still horrible to hear about.

**We were silent...he could’ve lived.**

“He’s stronger than I expected.” Poseidon noted. “Especially for one so young.”

“Tyson is the best.” Percy smiled softly.

**He’d given his...two of us were related.**

Percy frowned. He still felt bad about that.

**Waves lapped...bag full of ambrosia,**

“That’s good. At least you still have a way to heal yourselves.” Will nodded.

**a couple of sailors’...where I lost it.**

“Oh good. At least you still have those.” Hermes said. Percy grimaced.

“Thank the Gods.” Annabeth said. “It was extremely good we had those.” She did not like to think how bad it would have been if those had been lost. Percy would still be a guinea pig and the quest would have failed. Thalia would still be a tree and camp would be overrun with monsters. Honestly, given how much of their stuff had been eaten by a Hydra or blown up, she wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Hermes was keeping an eye on them and had made sure they managed to keep hold of the vitamins one way or another.

**We sailed for hours...feel any less lost.**

“Yes, that terrain is controlled by monsters, and while your powers will still work, it won’t feel quite right. Even Triton dislikes going there.” Poseidon told his son. “I can’t say I’m fond of going either.” Percy nodded. That made him feel a bit better.

**No matter which...marry Grover earlier.**

“Grover’s pretty good at talking his way out of stuff.” Thalia smiled.

“Yeah, just because he can’t unravel it, doesn’t mean he has to make it quickly.” Connor said. “But also, Grover is pretty bad at lying. So he needs to be able to just avoid the truth.”

“If it takes too long, Polyphemus might just marry him without it.” Beckendorf pointed out.

“They got there in time.” Grover said, wanting to move the topic along.

**“Yeah,” I said bitterly...me to resent her.**

“I was angry at myself too.” Percy said. “I hadn’t been great to Tyson either.” 

“Well, we both got to be nicer to Tyson.” Annabeth smiled. He nodded happily.

**I looked down...to him about his dad.**

Hermes grimaced. He hoped that Percy would find out exactly what had gone wrong so he knew how to fix it in the future.

**“Annabeth, what’s...wisdom goddess!”**

“Knowledge and wisdom are not quite the same thing. Knowledge is not always good for you.” Athena stated. “Sometimes it can be a distraction.” 

“A prophecy cannot be changed but if you knew about it a couple of years early then you would spend that whole time trying to find a way around it.” Apollo added. Percy nodded.

**“I know! But every...dangerous weapon.”**

“Precisely why we should kill the boy.” Athena stated.

“We already said no to that idea.” Hades spoke up. Poseidon shot his brother a grateful look.

“Besides the note said Percy saved Olympus. He didn’t destroy it.” He pointed out calmly, though there was a steel in his voice that all the Gods took note of. 

“Plus, you can’t avoid a prophecy forever.” Apollo pointed out. “It would come true eventually.” 

**“Why?”...or destroys it.”**

“Seriously, why does Annabeth know so much about the prophecy?” Rachel asked.

“She would have a part to play.” Chiron said. Athena frowned at the Centaur. It sounded as if he had told her daughter the prophecy, if not in full then at least the basics of it. She was unsure whether this was a good thing.

**I let that sink in...will be in serious trouble.”**

Zeus glared. He still did not like that fate of Olympus rested on this boy’s shoulders. He was a mere demigod and yet he supposedly had the power to destroy the age of the Gods. Beside him, his wife shifted with a look of disdain on her face. He sighed. He felt the same way. It was wrong. They were Gods, they should not need to rely on one mortal to save them.

**“But if it’s me...long time for a half-blood.**

“Yeah, three years is practically a lifetime.” Beckendorf nodded. Some of the Gods exchanged looks. Three years? That was nothing. How could it be a lifetime to their children? 

**When Chiron first...Until you came along.”**

“That must be a terrible burden.” Reyna looked at Percy sympathetically. She could not imagine knowing that in a couple of years she would have to make a choice that could save the world or destroy it. Percy nodded. It terrified him. 

**On our port side...be, except you.”**

“Well, there’s Nico.” Hazel said.

“He’s younger than Percy. He would only inherit the prophecy if Percy died.” Annabeth said.

“Or got stuck somewhere like the Lotus Casino.” Will added.

“Please don’t die or get stuck in a casino.” Nico said to Percy. Hades frowned. Why would his son not want to be the child of the prophecy? It was the perfect opportunity to show that the children of his were important and were capable of doing not just bad deeds. 

“I’ll try.” Percy assured Nico.

**“Then why do...to kill me.”**

“Because your dad would go mental.” Chris said. 

“That is...one way of putting it.” Poseidon said with a slight frown.

**“You’re right.”...for their survival, after all.**

Apollo nodded.

**The real question is...“Did the prophecy give any hints?”**

“Prophecies don’t give hints.” Apollo stated firmly.

**Annabeth hesitated...she said. “There’s land nearby!”**

“That’s convenient.” Silena frowned. 

“What do you mean?” Piper asked.

“Well, they are in the middle of the Sea of Monsters for one thing. Then a bird lands directly on their mast and happens to have proof of land. I bet it’s a trap. Whoever is on the nearby land might have trained the birds so that people land wherever it is.” Silena said. A few people scoffed at the idea of trained birds luring people to land but many of the Gods, and Chiron, all suspected that to be the truth.

**I sat up. Sure enough...like a tropical paradise.**

“Yeah, ok. It’s a trap.” Thalia nodded.

“What’s with the random collection of boats?” Leo asked.

“People who landed but never left most likely.” Beckendorf said darkly.

**“Welcome!” said the lady...banged-up rowboat.**

Reyna’s eyes widened. That sounded like Hylla. Her heart ached. She missed her sister very badly. It had been too long.

“Yeah, well, monsters don’t care how you arrive.” Nico said. Reyna glared at the son of Pluto. Her sister was  _ not _ a monster.

**Then again, our rowboat...look at or something.**

Reyna thought that was a rather strange theory.

“No. That’ll be the people who have been eaten or captured or something over the centuries.” Will said.

“Also, why would there be tourist attractions in the middle of the Sea of Monsters?” Thalia asked in amusement. Percy shrugged. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing he had seen.

**“Is this your first...the young gentleman.”**

“How come Percy gets a complete makeover while Annabeth only needs a herbal wrap?” Nico asked. Percy grimaced.

“Please tell me you guys ran away?” Connor asked. 

“No, the chapter title says they checked in to some spa place.” Travis reminded his brother.

“I hate makeovers.” Piper stated, recalling the ‘blessing’ her mother had given her when she was claimed. Silena and Aphrodite both looked horrified by this statement while everyone else, except Jason and Leo, looked a bit confused. A daughter of Aphrodite who didn’t like makeovers? What was the world coming to?

“You don’t like makeovers?” The Love Goddess asked her daughter in astonishment.

“No.” Piper said shortly. Aphrodite opened her mouth once more but Beckendorf kept reading, cutting off whatever the Goddess had been about to say.

**“A what?” I asked...begged like a dog.**

“Really?” Frank asked. 

“Again, Percy? Did you learn nothing from Medusa?” Thalia whacked him on the arm.

“So you walk into a trap because you’re hungry?” Athena sneered. This boy was going to be the death of her daughter. Even Artemis was frowning. How typical of a boy.

“If it was a trap, they probably weren’t going to let us go easily anyway.” Percy pointed out. “Might as well try and get some food out of it before we have to fight for our lives.” A lot of people rolled their eyes while the Stolls and Leo were nodding their agreement. Even Thalia looked like she thought Percy had a point.

**“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” Annabeth muttered.**

“Annabeth!” Athena groaned. Her daughter just shrugged.

**Of course it could...forgot about them.**

“It’s not another place like the casino is it?” Nico asked tentatively.

“No.” Percy assured him. “But I’d prefer the casino.” Thalia, Annabeth and Reyna all smirked while Nico frowned. What could be worse than the casino?

“But there is definitely some magic going on. Strong magic.” Silena frowned.

**The place was amazing...and galloping horses.**

“Of course you wouldn’t notice anything but the water slides.” Annabeth rolled her eyes.

“What were you looking at then?” Percy asked.

“The architecture.” 

“Why would I look at that? Water slides are the best.”

“You’re hopeless.” 

“Am not.”

“Alright. Shut up both of you.” Thalia intervened. Annabeth and Percy both leaned back in their seats, arms folded.

**Tyson loved horses...Tyson was gone.**

Percy sighed while Poseidon grimaced. Everyone else shot Percy sympathetic looks. Almost all the Greek demigods knew what it was like to lose a sibling, either to Kronos or to death. 

**“You okay?”...did their nails.**

“Why are there only girls?” Piper frowned. 

“Yeah. There was a US Navy ship outside, there must have been quite a few guys on that.” Will pointed out.

“You really don’t want to know.” Percy said. Reyna bit her lip to keep from laughing.

**As we headed up a...carry me toward her.**

“If it wasn’t Ancient Greek then how did you know what she was saying?” Travis asked.

“She was singing the language of magic but somehow everyone could understand it. I’m guessing due to the magic.” Reyna answered.

“How do you know that?” Silena asked curiously. Reyna smiled. 

“You’ll see.” She said. Everyone gave her curious glances but she said nothing further.

**We came into a big...large wire pet cage.**

Percy shuddered. 

**The cage seemed...drifting across a fabric sky.**

“That’s pretty cool.” Silena smiled. 

“She was very good.” Reyna nodded. Athena sniffed, looking at the book with disdain. It was still nothing compared to her own tapestries. Still, there weren’t many with the ability to weave that well. Unless the loom was magic in which case she didn’t have to do much work.

**Annabeth caught her breath...in a rubber room.**

“I think anyone who was singing in the language of magic and is living in the middle of the Sea of Monsters, probably isn’t going to be bothered about hearing your mom is Athena.” Apollo said.

“Still, you never know when monsters will react violently because your Godly parent did something horrible to them at some point.” Annabeth said. Apollo nodded. She had a point. Over the millennia the Gods had cursed a  _ lot _ of people.

**Our hostess just...name is C.C.”**

Silena gasped. She knew who that was.

“C.C.?” Piper asked.

“Yep. Circe.” Silena told her. The Gods all grimaced while the Goddesses stifled chuckles. However they all did wonder quite how Percy made it out of this.

“Oh, that’s not good.” Connor said. “She’s famous for hating guys.”

“She turns them into animals.” Travis added. Everyone turned to look at Percy. He was trying to keep a straight face but those who knew him could tell that he was on edge.

**The animals in the...some kind of test.**

“You did. You’re male.” Artemis said.

“You know someone really should make a guys group who hate girls.” Percy grumbled. “I’m sick of people hating on us guys.”

**Immediately, I felt bad...please this lady.**

“Mortals always do. It’s part of her magic.” Apollo said. The Gods, except Hermes, were all wondering how they got out of this without Percy being an animal. 

**“Oh, dear,” she sighed...on a tour, will you?**

Reyna sighed as her sister was actually mentioned by name. Dakota looked over at her.

“You alright?” He asked quietly. He had never seen his Praetor look so melancholy. “Is this to do with why you know so much about that place?” Reyna raised an eyebrow. She didn’t know the son of Bacchus was so perceptive.

“Yeah. Hylla is my sister. She is now the Queen on the Amazon warriors.” His eyes widened. Reyna could see the calculations going on in his head before he spoke again.

“If your sister was there...does that mean you were too?” She nodded.

“I expect you’ll find out in a few minutes why I had to leave and make my way to Camp Jupiter eventually.” She regretted allowing her bitterness to seep into her voice. “Not that I regret coming to camp but…” She trailed off. This was the most she had opened to up anyone except Jason in years. Damn, hearing about her sister was affecting her more than she had realised. Dakota nodded and offered her a small smile. Thankfully he then dropped the topic and returned his attention to his ridiculously large mug of kool aid.

**Show her what...wrong with my hair?”**

“Nothing.” Percy said with a smile. Annabeth blushed very slightly.

“Thanks.”

“But you have been travelling for a couple of days and got caught in an explosion. It probably isn’t the best it could be.” Silena added. Annabeth turned to glare at the daughter of Aphrodite. “I’m just saying.” She added, raising her hands in a surrender position while Aphrodite nodded at her daughter’s words.

**C.C. smiled benevolently...not a single person who is.**

“That is sort of true.” Piper said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to change one thing about themselves.”

“I agree but not quite to the extent that Circe means it.” Silena stated.

**But don’t worry...a loss for words. “But… what about Percy?”**

Athena wished her daughter would hurry up and break the spell on them. Thankfully it was a good sign she was still asking about the sea spawn, she wasn’t completely under the spell yet.

**“Oh, definitely,” C.C...more work than you.”**

“That’s rubbish. Percy doesn’t need any work.” Rachel scoffed angrily. 

“Er, thanks, Rach.” Percy said. He then went very red when he noticed that quite a few of the girls around the room were nodding in agreement. He could have sworn that he also saw Apollo nodding as well but when he turned to look properly the God was just whispering something to Will. He must have imagined it. 

**Normally if somebody...how to do better.**

“Come on Percy. You need to fight it.” Hermes said anxiously. Although they had the means to fix him if he did get turned into an animal by Circe, he didn’t like to think how much time they would lose.

**The guinea pigs...happy the way you are.”**

“Ah. Once you admit that then you’re in her clutches until she gets her way.” Apollo said.

“How do you know so much about her?” Artemis asked her brother. He smirked at Hermes who was shaking his head discreetly.

“I just know stuff.” Apollo replied with a wide smile.

“Hmm.” Artemis didn’t sound convinced but let the matter drop for now. She’d ask him again later when he wasn’t expecting it.

**I fidgeted in the...never stayed down straight.**

“Your hair is great.” Rachel told him. “It’s kinda cute.” Percy sighed. He was not  _ cute _ !

“Given how much you look like me, I hope you’re not trying to say there’s something wrong with the way I look.” Poseidon said with a wink at his son.

“Er...n..no. Of course not, dad.” Percy stammered. A few people chuckled.

**C.C.’s voice brought all... I knew that.**

“Well there is that. You do own some awful clothes.” Silena told Percy.

“Thanks.” He said dryly. “It could be worse.” He added with a sideways glance at his father’s rather bright hawaiian shirt. Silena laughed.

“That’s true. Still, I think I could help you with…”

“No thanks, Silena.” Percy said hurriedly. “I appreciate the offer but I’m ok with how I look now.” The last thing he wanted was cabin ten trying to help him pick out new clothes or something. He’d be turned into a life size dress up doll. Silena pouted. 

Aphrodite made a mental note to pick out some clothes for him at some point. She had still been able to catch some of the flashes of both love and lust aimed towards Percy from various places around the room. It would seem that despite the fact the Gods were mortal, they had retained some of their more passive abilities, the ones that couldn’t actually affect anyone else. She could have so much fun. For the millionth time since the reading started she cursed the Fates for making them mortal while they read. She would love to just be able to snap him into some better clothes and watch what would ensue.

**Who cares?...anything good in myself.**

Poseidon scowled at the book. His son already seemed to have a death wish, he did not need some stupid witch making him feel even worse about himself. He hoped the daughter of Athena would break the spell soon.

“Really? You couldn’t see  _ anything _ good in yourself?” Nico asked in astonishment. Percy frowned in surprise as how shocked Nico sounded but shook his head.

“It’s Circe’s magic.” Hermes stated. “It won’t allow him to find anything good in his own appearance.”

“But you don’t think that now right?” Nico pressed, leaning forward so he could see Percy who was trying to disappear into the back of the couch.

“No.” He replied a little unconvincingly. While he didn’t think he was as terrible as he had in front of Circe’s mirror, he certainly didn’t think he was anything special. A few people frowned.

Apollo bit his lip. He wanted to reassure Percy that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him but at the same time he didn’t want to reveal just how interested he was in the young demigod. At the very least Poseidon was likely to murder him. Which might be possible given that they were currently mortal and Apollo didn’t want to test that theory. His reputation as a complete flirt helped protect him a bit because everybody assumed that was just him being his usual self and he would quite like to keep it that way. 

He still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about Percy Jackson. What he did know was that it was definitely more than just a vague, passing interest because he hadn’t found a mortal this interesting for millennia. Something about him made Apollo constantly want to spend time with him and it enraged him that this witch would try and make him feel like he was anything less than perfect. He also felt something dangerously close to jealousy when the book spoke of Percy’s blatant crush on the daughter of Athena.

**“There, there,” C.C...without the faults.**

“Well you’re basically already there.” Annabeth said. “You’ve grown, finally.” Percy stuck his tongue out as she said that. “Plus you don’t have any zits anymore.”

**“Whoa,” I managed...C.C. promised.**

“Yeah, not quite the makeover you’re expecting.” Apollo chuckled lightly, glancing over at Hermes. Percy and Hermes both glared at him.

**“What’s the catch?” I said.**

“At least you expect there to be a catch.” Will said.

“I would never have guessed what the catch was.” Percy grumbled.

**“I have to like...course… this.”**

“She wasn’t wrong.” Annabeth teased. “I mean eating fruit and running. That’s pretty much all you need to do.” Percy groaned and squirmed closer to his father’s side, hiding his face in Poseidon’s shoulder. 

**She stepped over...“How is that possible?”**

“Magic.” Piper said, thinking back to her own instant makeover courtesy of her mother. Somehow she figured this wasn’t going to be the same kind of makeover.

**She laughed. “Why question it?**

“Because most people don’t take in random strangers and offer to give them full makeovers for free.” Connor said.

“Especially people who live in the Sea of Monsters. The clue is in the name.” Travis added.

“Well, when you say it like that it’s obviously a trap.” Percy said, though his voice was muffled given that his face was still pressed against his dad’s shoulder.

“And before that it wasn’t obviously a trap?” Chris asked with a laugh.

“I blame the magic.” Annabeth said.

**I mean, don’t you...no guys at this spa?”**

“Good question. Keep fighting, Percy.” Apollo cheered him on.

“It is quite impressive you are still able to think clearly at all.” Athena said, grudgingly impressed. “Circe is a very talented witch and her magic is difficult to overcome, especially for those who don’t have magic in their bloodline. For example, other children of Hecate, or those who are particularly strong with the mist would have a much better chance of fighting her.”

Percy really wasn’t sure. It seemed that sometimes he was particularly susceptible to magic and other times he could throw it off, at least partially, much easier. He mentioned this to his dad.

“You have the blood of the sea. My blood. It is very unpredictable and changeable. I suspect that the stronger your emotions, the easier you can throw the magic off. Your grief for Tyson is most likely helping you. Unlike when you met Medusa, there you weren’t feeling any particularly emotion except hunger which she used to draw you in.” Poseidon explained. “Plus, it seems that most rules don’t apply to you, which could also be part of your unpredictability.” What he didn’t add was that he suspected the daughter of Aphrodite’s explanation had also been true. Percy was more susceptible because of his lack of self preservation. Normally his grief over Tyson should be enough to help him break the hold of the magic. He considered the Lotus casino. Percy had been the only one to break out of that magic on his own. Although he had his mother to focus on whereas the others didn’t. Percy nodded at his dad’s explanation. That did make some kind of sense. 

**“Oh, but there are,”...or my judgment?”**

“My judgement.” Percy said firmly.

“Good choice.” Chris nodded. 

“If only I’d made it then.” Percy muttered to himself.

**My throat felt dry...boil inside of me.**

“What’s happening?” Leo asked. “Did she poison you?”

“Sort of.” Percy said grimly. A few of the Goddesses were trying not to chuckle as they understood exactly what was going on. Hermes was grimacing in sympathy.

**I doubled over and dropped...Something was horribly wrong.**

“Isn’t it always?” Leo asked.

“Pretty much.” Beckendorf nodded. The campers only got the cliff notes version of what happened on quests but it was enough to establish a pattern that Percy had the worst luck in the world. If Beckendorf hadn’t known that Tyson had made Percy a shield, he would have made one himself. If anyone needed extra protection, it was their leader. He would also need to have a think about other stuff he could make to give Percy an edge. Beckendorf hoped that future him would come up with some good ideas that he could start making early.

**The curtain dropped away...“Reeet, reeet, reeet!”**

“You...you’re…” Leo was speechless, torn between complete bemusement and burst into laughter. Most of the room then started laughing. Percy kept his head buried in his dad’s shoulder but it wasn’t enough to block out the laughter that was going around the room. There was also the fact that his dad was shaking from trying to withhold his own laughter. Percy did at least appreciate the attempt. After a few moments, Thalia and Annabeth began glaring at people who immediately stopped laughing. While they both found it funny, they didn’t want to let everybody make fun of Percy for too long.

“If I didn’t know you made it out of this ok I would be really rather angry.” Poseidon mused, amusement still evident in his voice. “Maybe I should go and turn Circe into something. A krill maybe. Or a bit of Plankton.”

“Oh, I bet you made an adorable guinea pig.” Apollo chuckled to himself. Will overheard and gave his dad a weird look. Apollo obviously noticed the look because he suddenly coughed and moved his gaze as far away from Percy as was possible. Will frowned. His dad was being weirder than usual and it somehow involved Percy. Maybe he was plotting something, he heard how Percy had refused to say how awesome Apollo was. His dad was pretty vain and probably wanted some revenge. Yeah. That must be it,

“Seriously, why are there so many people out there who hate guys?” Frank complained once he got control of himself. Those Greek girls were scary. “This person, the Hunters of Diana, it seems like everybody has it out for guys.”

“Not to mention the Amazons.” Dakota added. “They are an all girl warrior group, thing.”

“I agree with Percy, we need an all guy group.” Will spoke up.

“I mean, in ancient times, based on all the stories, most guys weren’t exactly great. And a lot of women didn’t have any protection because they were pretty much seen as property.” Rachel pointed out. 

“So, times have changed.” Connor said. 

“You’d think they could adapt, just a little.” Travis completed his brother’s thought. “Just because someone had trouble with a couple of guys does not mean they should turn every single man they meet into a guinea pig.” Chiron motioned for Beckendorf to keep reading.

**The giant hands...unlocked your true self!”**

“His true self is not a rodent.” Poseidon growled. Annoyance overcoming his amusement. A few people sniggered at how that sounded.

**She held me up to the...“A guinea pig,” C.C. said.**

Ares let out another loud burst of laughter but Aphrodite was quick to throw her shoe at him, the heel catching him in the face.

“Ow!” He complained. The love Goddess shrugged at the curious looks she was getting. She was still angry at him for his treatment of Clarisse, as well as his implication that his sons would do a better job simply because they were male. Plus she was coming to quite like Percy, or at least like the prospect of messing with his love life.

Percy was still refusing to move from his place at his dad’s side. He was still wondering if it was possible to die from embarrassment. 

**“Lovely, aren’t you? Men are pigs, Percy Jackson.**

“It’s not like all men are the same.” Jason complained. 

“Yeah. These people have a couple of bad encounters and label all men the same way.” Percy agreed. It sucked.

**I used to turn them...they were before, really.**

“Seriously?” Will asked.

“I hope you killed her.” Frank muttered.

“No. We didn’t kill her.” Percy said.

**Guinea pigs are much...I almost blacked out.**

Poseidon glared at the book furiously. How dare Circe actually harm his son. Transforming him was bad enough, even if it was mildly funny, but it wasn’t supposed to be painful unless the caster actually wanted it to be. He would definitely have to pay her a visit soon. All of the campers were now also glaring at the book, funny side forgotten.

**“None of that, little one,”...I couldn’t hold the sword.**

“A sword won’t help you now.” Ares commented with a bit too much glee in his voice. Finally the stupid punk had got what was coming to him.

“You’re a guinea pig. Why would you think your sword would be helpful?” Athena asked Percy scornfully. This boy really was stupid. How he saved Olympus was beyond her. No wonder her daughter had to play a part. She probably did everything for him except the one choice that he would make to save the world. Then he would get all the praise and her daughter would be forgotten. 

“I hadn’t exactly spent long as a guinea pig. It was my instinctive reaction.” Percy said. He meant to sound angry but it just came out as weak and pathetic.

**I squirmed helplessly...permanently, I’d suggest you—”**

“Suggest he what? Behave well? At best you’ll give him to a mortal school to be kept as a classroom pet.” Apollo scowled.

**Annabeth’s voice called: “Miss C.C.?”**

“Oh thank goodness. Annabeth to the rescue.” Chris said.

“That was pretty obvious.” Thalia stated. “Percy clearly isn’t a rodent and Circe isn’t going to turn him back so obviously Annabeth was the one who rescued them.”

“Clarisse or Tyson could have rescued them.” Beckendorf pointed out. Thalia shrugged.

“Not likely. Tyson would have been turned away or turned into an animal, same as Percy. Clarisse might have had a shot but she wouldn’t know they were there.” She reminded him.

**C.C. cursed in Ancient Greek...would be caught dead in.**

“I wouldn’t normally.” Annabeth said firmly. 

“It’s a shame there are no pictures.” Connor sighed.

“Yeah, that would be excellent blackmail material.” Travis agreed. Annabeth glared at both of them.

**I mean, she looked good...It just wasn’t Annabeth.**

Percy blushed and returned to hiding his face.

“So, going without makeup is better, huh?” Annabeth asked. Percy made no response. 

**She looked around...step back. “A sorceress?”**

“She made a mistake revealing she is a sorceress.” Hazel commented. 

“Yeah, if she’d kept talking about the library, Annabeth would have been lost forever.” Thalia laughed. Annabeth scowled but didn’t deny it.

**“Yes, my dear.” C.C...the shadow of men.”**

“Annabeth doesn’t stand in anyone’s shadow.” Percy said, now scowling at the book himself. “She frequently saves my life.”

“Obviously.” Annabeth laughed. “But you saved me too, a couple of times.”

“More than a couple.” Percy argued.

“Maybe, but I saved you far more.” Annabeth said. Percy opened his mouth to argue but Beckendorf started reading once more to shut them up.

**“I–I don’t understand.”**

“That's new for Annabeth.” Connor grinned.

“Don’t sound so pleased. She needs to rescue Percy.” Chris pointed out.

“Oh yeah.” Connor frowned.

**Again, I squealed my best...the noises were important.**

“Or she couldn’t do anything with Circe watching.” Piper pointed out.

“Or that.” Silena agreed.

**Meanwhile, the other guinea pigs...getting their cage cleaned.**

“So much for animal rights.” Rachel scowled.

**“Stay with me,” C.C...You will become immortal!”**

Athena looked at her daughter in surprise. “You turned down a chance for immortality and knowledge?” While she was pleased her daughter chose not to study under Circe, she wondered how Annabeth had managed not to be swayed by the chance to gain so much knowledge.

“Grover was still in danger, so was the Camp. I couldn’t just stay there forever.” Annabeth frowned. 

“Thanks.” Grover smiled at his friend. She grinned back.

**“But—”...Atalanta, Amelia Earhart—”**

“She really should know better than to ask a daughter of Athena that question.” Thalia laughed. Athena smiled proudly and Annabeth puffed her chest out in pride.

**“Bah! Men get all the glory.”...women is sorcery.**

“That’s not true. Annabeth is proof of that.” Will said.

“And Clarisse.” Chris added. Both girls grinned. 

**Medea, Calypso, now...The greatest of all.”**

“Prideful much?” Travis scoffed.

“She is very powerful.” Hermes warned his son.

“Although, so was Medea.” Aphrodite said although she sounded a little disdainful.

“Calypso is powerful in her own way.” Percy spoke up. He still felt bad for the Titaness. Stuck on an island forever just because of who her father was and because she chose to support him once. Plenty of other people had supported the Titans and they weren’t punished in such a fashion. Annabeth glared at the name Calypso.

**“You… C.C… Circe!”...have you done to Percy?”**

“Thanks for thinking of me.” Percy grinned.

“Someone had to save you from your ‘true self’.” Annabeth smirked. His smile faded and he stuck his tongue out.

**“Only helped him realize...all you ever wanted.”**

Athena raised an eyebrow. Circe was using her daughter’s fatal flaw to try and get her to stay. She was even more impressed that her daughter was able to resist.

**Annabeth was still...I was absolutely powerless.**

“You’re acting right?” Grover asked his friend.

“Mostly. It  _ was _ tempting but not tempting enough.” She admitted.

“Thank the Gods for that.” Percy muttered.

**“Let me think about it,”...click shut behind her.**

“Yes, I’m sure that’s just for privacy.” Piper said sarcastically.

“It’s not an attempt to show that there isn’t actually a choice at all.” Nico added with equal sarcasm.

**The dreamy look melted...out from under the loom.**

Hermes grinned.

“Thanks for those.” Percy said.

“You’re welcome.” He winked. “I’m sorry you needed them though.” He added with a sympathetic smile.

**Yes!...had to draw the sword!**

“The sword won’t be too much help. Circe is too powerful.” Apollo said.

“I love how you thought they were actually multivitamins.” Will laughed. Percy sighed. 

**She popped a lemon...her business-suited attendants.**

“So is that you and Hylla?” Dakota asked Reyna quietly. She nodded feeling sad. This was the last time they were together and not fearing for their lives.

**“Well,” Circe sighed...Is that wise?”**

“No.” Said Athena.

“Annabeth took one of the vitamins. Circe won’t be able to turn her into an animal.” Hermes said with an evil smile that didn’t suit him. “She does have an advantage.”

“Why are you so gleeful?” Aphrodite asked him.

“No reason.” He said, the grin still on his face. Apollo smirked but still kept his word to say nothing.

**Circe looked back at her...Annabeth the way I’d lost Tyson.**

Poseidon squeezed his son gently. 

**“What will Annabeth’s...Annabeth, only angrier.**

“Oh dear. Circe should watch out.” Connor said.

“Annabeth is scary when she’s angry.” Travis agreed.

**She leaped forward...They do nothing for you.”**

“Actually they do quite a lot.” Hermes smirked.

“You don’t do anything for people.” Percy scowled. Reyna frowned. That wasn’t quite true. Yes, Circe didn’t do anything for men but she had taken Reyna and her sister in under her wing. She had looked after them when they had nobody else and taught them magic.

**“Turn Percy back to...cursed vitamin wears off.”**

“You can do magic?” Dakota asked Reyna.

“A little. Circe mostly taught Hylla and once I got to Camp Jupiter, I didn’t bother using it so even if I could remember what to do, I’m horribly out of practise.”

“That’s still pretty cool.” He grinned.

**Annabeth dragged...“No!” Circe screamed.**

Reyna grimaced. While she understood the need to free Percy, there really was no need to pour the entire bottle in.

“Well that’s a bit of a waste.” Silena frowned. “If they make you immune to magic, it might have been better to keep at least some of them. They could come in handy in the future.” Annabeth nodded. That was a good point.

**I was the first to get...in my regular clothes,**

“Don’t know how that works but I’m  _ really _ glad it does.” Percy said. 

Poseidon smiled in relief. He knew his son had obviously not remained a guinea pig but it was still good to hear him being changed back in the books. He tried not to think about the fact that he knew his son was ok and it was still stressful hearing about this. How much worse was it going to be when they read the future? What if his son actually died saving the world with one of his ridiculous stunts that should really have killed him already? The God shook his head to clear those thoughts away. It was best not to dwell on that just yet.

**thank the gods...witch done t’me!”**

“Is he a pirate?” Nico asked enthusiastically. 

“Yep. Blackbeard himself.” Percy grinned.

“Oh that so cool!” The son of Hades looked just like he had when Percy first met him when he talked about Mythomagic. “I can’t believe you actually got to meet Blackbeard.”

“That witch turned my son into a guinea pig.” Ares growled furiously. “I’m gonna kill her.”

“What do you reckon she would turn Ares into?” Hermes whispered to Apollo.

“Ooh, I don’t know but I kind of want to find out.” Apollo whispered back. They began plotting while their kids listened in. Clarisse tried not to pay attention. She might be angry with her father but she didn’t want to be a part of any plot to get him turned into a rodent.

**“No!” Circe moaned...bowl of celery! Arggggh!”**

“That’s hilarious.” Leo said through his laughter. A few other people were chuckling as well.

Nico was still grinning widely at the idea that the most famous pirate ever was actually still alive. Then he caught Will watching him with a smile and tried to school his expression into something more neutral. That smile looked far too much like Will was finding him cute or adorable again. He was the son of Hades, he was  _ not _ cute!

**Circe screamed...glared at me.**

“For what?” Jason asked.

“That’s just Annabeth’s way of being worried.” Percy grinned.

**“Thanks…” I faltered...you’re not a guinea pig.”**

“Not as much as Percy is.” Silena laughed.

**“Me, too.” I hoped my face wasn’t as red as it felt.**

“It was.” Annabeth assured him. Percy groaned.

Aphrodite squealed to herself. Percabeth was so  _ cute _ ! She was very much looking forward to hearing how she messed with their love lives in the future. They were definitely her favourite would be couple, it was made even better by the fact that their parents were rivals. 

Although, now she actually stopped to think about it, she noticed that Percy’s feelings towards Annabeth weren’t as strong as they were earlier. Hmm. There were a lot of feelings for Percy in the room but he didn’t seem to feel particularly strongly about anyone at the moment. She would have to keep an eye on developments there. She was so glad that she hadn’t lost her passive powers when they were turned mortal. The ability to feel emotions related to love around her was so much a part of her she didn’t know what she would have done if the ability had been cut off.

**She undid the golden...cage for three centuries.**

“Entertainment, sure but they are probably going to want revenge for being imprisoned for three hundred years.” Chris pointed out. 

“Circe might deserve it but the attendants probably don’t.” Dakota pointed out evenly. He could see Reyna frowning at Percy.

“Hey, they worked at a place where she turned guys into guinea pigs. Probably even helped given that they can evidently do magic.” Percy shrugged. Her frown intensified to a glare.

“They might be working there because they had no other place to go.” Reyna said sharply. “Plus, they were pirates. They deserved what they got.” Percy frowned at her. Now he thought about it, she did look a bit familiar. He thought about the two attendants who had come in and tried to use magic on Annabeth. 

“You were one of the attendants, weren’t you?” Annabeth asked before he could. Reyna nodded. “Did the pirates hurt you?” 

“They captured me and my sister but we learnt to fight and we escaped pretty quickly.” 

“Sorry.” Annabeth said. “We didn’t know they were pirates. I thought they might have been more guys like Percy who didn’t deserve to be made into guinea pigs.” Reyna nodded stiffly.

“Yeah. Sorry. I’m glad you and your sister got away from them ok.” Percy added.

**“Which ship?”...“How?”**

“Son of the sea God.” Apollo said.

“It was very impressive to watch.” Annabeth admitted with a smile at Percy. Percy grinned.

**I couldn’t explain...vessel! Get ’em, lads!”**

“Don’t you steal my son’s ship.” Ares glared at Percy. That brat was so lucky Ares couldn’t blast him into smithereens. He humiliated him, he burst in on his daughter’s quest and now he was stealing his son’s ship. Then he noticed everyone glaring at him. Clearly they were still upset about his earlier behaviour in the book. He settled for just scowling at Percy for now.

**“We’ll never get going in...and sticks of celery.**

Everyone let out a laugh at that image.

“They were still obsessed with celery, well after you left.” Reyna informed them. 

“Ookay.” Leo said. “How did you escape that obsession?” He asked Percy.

“I did have a bit of a craving for some fresh fruit and veg but I wasn’t a guinea pig long enough for it to last long.” He explained a bit sheepishly.

**I closed my eyes...“Percy, how…”**

“Holy Hera.” Connor said. Hera glared at him.

“That’s so cool.” Leo exclaimed. And it would be really useful for their voyage if Percy could control the Argo II like that. 

“Seriously, how many powers do you have?” Jason asked Percy, feeling slightly envious. He was a son of Jupiter but he didn’t have anywhere near the amount of powers that Percy seemed to. Percy just shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. Poseidon looked at his son proudly while Zeus fumed that the boy was so powerful. It was already bad enough that they had to rely on a mere demigod to save them but it just had to be a super powerful son of his brother. He had always hoped it would be one of his own children. At least then he could trust them.

**I didn’t have an...sailing into the Sea of Monsters.**

“You must be almost at Grover now. Any more delays and you would never have made it in time.” Poseidon said. Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances.

“There was one more short delay.” Percy admitted.

“Well, the chapter is over.” Beckendorf announced. “That was quite a long one.”

“There were a lot of interruptions too.” Piper pointed out. Beckendorf nodded.

“That makes it my turn.” Apollo smiled. He took the book eagerly and turned to the correct page.


	13. Annabeth Tries to Swim Home

“Huh? Why would you try to swim home?” Thalia asked her friend. Annabeth groaned. She knew what this was. She had hoped the book would skip over this particular event. It wasn’t important to anything but it was private. She knew that Percy had somehow seen the vision she had had. She didn’t blame him, he hadn’t intended to do anything but save her but still...it was something intensely private that was likely to be read out to a roomful of people. Annabeth really didn’t know how Percy could deal with all of his thoughts being read out. 

Percy shot her an apologetic look. He felt really bad. It was awful enough that every one of his thoughts was being read out but he didn’t want his friend’s privacy being invaded too. She gave him a smile that said she understood. It made him feel a bit better but not completely.

**I’d finally found something I was really good at.**

“You’re good at loads of things.” Rachel scoffed.

“Yeah, you can surf really well.” Nico said with a smirk. Percy chuckled.

“You’re awesome with a sword.” Connor pointed out. 

“Plus you’re really good at thinking on your feet. Coming up with plans that should kill you but somehow don’t.” Annabeth laughed.

“I’m not sure that counts as a good thing.” He replied.

**The Queen Anne’s...pretty darn fast.**

“Not bad.” Poseidon nodded proudly. Percy smiled. He remembered how amazing it felt to control the ship. He had never found anything that made him feel as peaceful as sailing. And he hadn’t even fully enjoyed it because he had still thought Tyson was missing. He really needed to go sailing again at some point.

**It all felt perfect...waves breaking over the prow.**

Annabeth didn’t mention that she thought he had looked perfect too. He had been at peace, an expression not often seen in the life of a demigod, and he had been radiating power. In fact, he had looked almost Godly. He could have been mistaken for Poseidon himself if looked at in just the right light. Albeit a little small for a God at that point but she thought that if he did it again now, he would definitely look like his father.

**But now that we...I was about Grover.**

“Yeah. That would ruin the mood.” Thalia nodded.

“Thanks for the concern, Punk.” Clarisse scowled.

“Well, I can’t say I was missing you very much.” Percy grinned. “But I was worried about what had happened to you too.”

**I couldn’t get over how badly I’d messed up on Circe’s Island.**

“What? You didn’t mess up.” Annabeth told him.

“You were under a spell by a powerful sorceress. Even Gods can’t break that spell, though it only lasts for a day or so on us.” Apollo comforted him. To his delight, Percy did perk up at this knowledge.

“Yeah, Annabeth had to save you but it’s not your fault you’re male.” Hermes stated. 

“Besides, you had to save me right after this.” Annabeth reminded him.

“Only because I messed up again.” Percy muttered, thinking about how he had forgotten to disarm her. 

“Neither of us thought about that.” She argued, knowing where his mind had gone.

“How do you know her magic works on Gods?” Artemis asked while the demigods were talking. Apollo grinned.

“I know things.”

“Don’t tell me she turned you into an animal?” His sister guessed. A few people chuckled. 

“Not me.” He said. He refused to say anything more despite her constant badgering. Instead, he started reading again.

**If it hadn’t been...You’ve unlocked your true self!**

“Perc, your true self is not a guinea pig.” Grover assured him. Percy felt an urge to bury his face in his dad’s shoulder once more. He did  _ not _ want his insecurities being read out to other people.

“That’s not quite what I was worried about.” He admitted, knowing the book was most likely going to go into even more details.

**I still felt changed...what really worried me.**

“Given your general habit of rushing into life threatening situations without thinking, I definitely don’t think you have it in you to be a scared little animal.” Thalia told him. Percy shot her a grateful smile.

**We sailed through...lie in a hammock.**

“I don’t blame you.” Hazel shuddered.

“Wouldn’t the rocking motion of the hammock make it worse?” Gwen asked.

“It wasn’t great but lying down helped.” Annabeth shrugged.

**I watched the horizon...want to know.**

“I wouldn’t want to know either.” Leo said. 

“That is one huge monster.” Connor muttered.

“At least they aren’t attacking.” Travis said. 

**Once I saw Nereids...seen me or not.**

“They probably did. The Nereids there are there as a punishment. They cannot leave the Sea of Monsters. Either it’s a punishment for something in particular but in most cases they support Oceanus.” Poseidon explained. Percy nodded. As punishments went, it wasn’t terrible. Especially when compared to what the Gods did to Calypso. At least the Nereids were still in the sea and had a large area in which to live. “They are unlikely to hurt you but wouldn’t help you either.” Percy nodded.

**Sometime after midnight...his metal monsters.”**

Nico glared at the floor.

**“Like the bronze bulls?”...Far around.”**

“Good idea.” Hephaestus grunted. “Don’t want to set off the security measures.” 

“Definitely not.” Percy said warily. He could only imagine what those measures would be.

**I didn’t need...What happened?”**

“That’s something I want to know.” Poseidon said grumpily. Zeus suddenly sat up straighter, ignoring his wife’s deepening scowl. He wanted to know what happened to his daughter.

Jason looked towards his sister. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It was bad enough hearing the story about giving her life for her friends, one of which had spat on her memory, he didn’t particularly want to hear more in depth details. 

**It was hard to see her...told you that once?”**

Grover grimaced while Zeus scowled angrily. Stupid Satyr.

**I nodded... lair in Brooklyn.”**

“You led my daughter into a Cyclops lair?” The sky God roared at Grover. The Satyr cowered.

“Father.” Thalia snapped. He stopped yelling and looked at his daughter with a frown.

“I thought Satyrs could smell monsters.” Beckendorf said.

“They can.” Dionysus said.

“There were so many monsters chasing us that everything smelt like monsters.” Grover explained quietly. Zeus glared furiously at Hades. 

**“They’ve got Cyclopes...even find the exit.”**

Athena grimaced. Her daughter had had to go through so much and she was only seven years old at that point in time. Everyone was looking between Annabeth and Thalia. They wondered how on Olympus three demigods got out of that mess. Cyclopes were difficult to beat at the best of times, let alone when you were in their lair and separated from your backup.

**She brushed the hair...like smoked hams.**

Thalia scowled at how easily she had been caught. Everyone was now even more curious as to how they got out as the two best fighters were captured. Now all eyes were on Annabeth as they realised that she must have rescued them, at seven years old.

**The Cyclops was starting...stabbed him in the foot.”**

“What?” Leo burst out laughing. “That is a very you thing to do.” He remembered the ferocious expression on her face when she had picked them up at the Grand Canyon. 

Athena smiled proudly at her daughter while everyone else was watching her in astonishment.

“That was very brave of you.” Reyna nodded in Annabeth’s direction. 

**I stared at her...a grown Cyclops in the foot?”**

“It was pretty incredible to see.” Thalia said with pride. 

“It really was.” Grover agreed.

**“Oh, he would’ve killed me...She took it from there.”**

Zeus nodded to his daughter.

**“Yeah, but still…that was pretty brave, Annabeth.”**

“It was very brave.” Athena smiled.

**She shook her head...still be alive today.”**

“Maybe but maybe not.” Thalia said thoughtfully. “We were delayed in other places too. Obviously that was the closest delay to camp but plenty of other stuff went wrong too. Maybe something else would have happened and I might have died later on, for real that time. Besides, it seems like the prophecy was supposed to be Percy’s which means it was my fate not to reach sixteen.”

**We sat on the deck...lair of another Cyclops?**

“Yes. You would.” Annabeth said without hesitation. “Especially with someone you care about in danger.” Percy nodded. That was true. He would go anywhere or fight anyone to save the people he loved.

**I didn’t dream about...Traps. Trickery.**

“The dead really do seem to keep helping you out in dreams.” Hermes noted.

“They would. With father coming back he would cause chaos in the underworld. Plus they are close to Tartarus so they would know about him rising quicker than anyone else.” Hades explained.

“So you would know about him rising once more.” Zeus turned to glare at his brother.

“So would you if you weren’t so thick.” Hades rolled his eyes. “At this point, the clues are all there plus you’ve been outright told he’s stirring.” Zeus’ glare intensified but he had no answer for his brother. It really was quite evident that their father was rising once more. 

**Kronos’s golden sarcophagus...I had to open that coffin.**

“No. There is a reason his nickname is the crooked one.” Poseidon told his son. “Manipulation is his speciality. You think you’re doing the right thing or he makes you want to prove yourself and then you’re actually doing exactly what he wants.” 

“Yep.” Chris nodded. He could definitely vouch for that. 

**I uncapped Riptide...wasn’t sure why.**

“Seriously! Why do you keep dreaming about me?” Thalia asked.

“Hey, he got the eye colour right this time.” Jason said. “Mostly. Not quite the right shade of blue but close.” 

“That’s even freakier.” Thalia muttered.

“I suspect that either someone is sending Percy a dream to warn him about what’s coming or subconsciously he already has an idea that you might come back.” Apollo said thoughtfully. 

**“Well?” she asked...it to me and Aegis.”**

“You definitely got the attitude right.” Grover laughed.

“That’s also the second time that you’ve dreamt about Thalia and been unable to move. In this one you’re frozen and in the last dream you had a straight jacket on.” Hermes recalled. 

“So Percy isn’t the one in control of the dreams?” Apollo frowned. “Then I guess Kronos could well be doing this. Obviously he knows what the fleece will do but why warn Percy?” 

“How do you know all of this?” Athena asked.

“Well, as God of prophecy, prophetic dreams are my business. Also a few centuries ago I spent a while hanging out with Morpheus.” Apollo shrugged.

“You have Aegis?” Zeus asked his daughter with interest.

“A copy but yes.” She nodded.

**She tapped her wrist...would turn and run.**

“Exactly.” Athena smirked smugly. “Although it cannot petrify you.” 

“I know that now.” Percy said.

**The girl drew...But she didn’t listen.**

“Yep. Definitely Thalia.” Percy grinned.

“Oh because you’re so much better.” She retorted.

“Listen to the boy.” Zeus urged. He did not want his daughter within a hundred miles of his father, even in a dream.

**She marched straight...blast of a golden light.**

“Thalia!” Zeus cried.

“I’m fine, father.” She said. “It was just a dream.”

“No. It was a dream possibly sent by Kronos.” Apollo corrected. “While the person in the dream may not have physically been you, I suspect it was intended to be prophetic. 

“How can he have intended it to be prophetic?” Annabeth asked in confusion.

“That is what he expects the future to hold. He obviously knew the fleece would bring Thalia back making her the most likely option for being the child of the prophecy due to her being older than Percy. That would mean that she would make the choice, in the dream the choice to open the sarcophagus, which would then cause her to release him. Thalia managed to divert this option by becoming a Hunter of Arty which he likely didn’t take into consideration.” 

“Do not call me Arty.” Artemis hissed at her brother. He shot her a smirk. Everybody else was staring at Apollo in shock. Given his goofy nature they often thought he was a bit stupid when he was actually the God of logic and reason as well as prophecy.

**“Ah!” I sat bolt upright...the island of the Sirens.”**

“Well, as long as you sail out of range of their singing you should be fine. Or find something to put in your ears.” Hephaestus shrugged. Athena watched a sheepish expression cross her daughter’s face and groaned. 

**I could barely make...range of their singing soon.”**

“That’s a very bad idea.” Chiron stated sternly.

“Sorry?” Annabeth said sheepishly.

**I remembered stories...candle wax below deck—”**

“Yes. Go with Perseus’ idea.” Athena nodded. Then she blinked as if she could not believe she had just said that. Poseidon and Percy both stared at her in astonishment.

**“I want to hear them.”... I get that chance?”**

“No. Knowledge by itself is not wisdom. It is how you apply that knowledge. You should know that.” Athena told her daughter sternly.

“I do know that. However, I did learn my fatal flaw from listening to the sirens.” Annabeth told her mother. The wisdom Goddess nodded. She understood her daughter’s reasoning and knew that turning down the opportunity to gain knowledge was difficult for her children but that didn’t mean she wished for Annabeth to put herself in unnecessary danger.

**Coming from most people...would appeal to her, too.**

“Did you just compare sirens with documentaries?” Piper asked, giving Percy a weird look.

“I guess so.” He said sheepishly.

**She told me her plan...drown myself.”**

“This is extremely dangerous.” Athena stated, concern in her voice. It was almost impossible to escape the lure of the sirens once you heard it.

“I know mother.” Annabeth sighed.

**“Are you trying to tempt me?”**

A few people chuckled at that.

**“Ha-ha.”...hull like blender blades.**

“You want to be as far away as possible. That way, if something happens you have more time to fix it.” Jason said. Percy grimaced.

**I glanced back...ropes right now.**

“Do not let her out of those ropes or out of your sight.” Athena glared at Percy. He grimaced again. Annabeth shot him a look, trying to tell him it wasn’t his fault.

**She seemed so...to go faster.**

“Yes, go faster.” Poseidon nodded. He wanted his son away from there. “You can still be dangerously tempted, even if you can’t hear them.

“Yeah. Found that one out.” Percy admitted.

**I still couldn’t...fiery nosedive,**

There was another round of laughter.

**but still…blood in my ears.**

“Do not unplug your ears.” Thalia said.

“I didn’t.” Percy assured her.

“This seems like a good example of the phrase ‘curiosity killed the cat’.” Piper pointed out.

“Except I’m not dead.” Annabeth reminded her. “Besides, the saying also includes the part ‘and satisfaction brought it back’.”

“True but satisfaction couldn’t actually bring you back if the sirens had killed you.” Jason said.

**Annabeth was pleading...do you fight a song?**

“You put wax in your ears.” Grover said, staring at Annabeth. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“I don’t actually remember any of this.” Annabeth admitted. “I can’t recall pretty much anything past first hearing the song to...later.” 

**I tried hard not...forgotten to disarm her.**

“How could you forget something like that, sea spawn!?” Athena yelled angrily. “Why were you not watching her properly?”

“Do not insult my son.” Poseidon said icily. “Your daughter is the one who put them in this mess. Nor did she think to get rid of her weapon before she was tied up.” He glared at the wisdom Goddess.

**I rushed to the...toward the jagged rocks.**

Annabeth’s eyes widened. She hadn’t even noticed the rocks, too busy in her vision.

**I screamed her name...and yelled, “Stay!”**

“I didn’t know your ship had turned into a dog.” Connor laughed.

“Hey, it worked.” Percy shrugged.

“That is pretty useful.” Leo said. Again, he wondered how much control Percy would have over the Argo II.

**Then I jumped over the...fangs of rock.**

Despite knowing they lived, everyone was quite worried. For once Athena was grateful that her daughter was with the son of Poseidon. Despite the fact that he had forgotten to disarm Annabeth, he was the only one who had a hope of catching up with her and saving her daughter.

**I had no choice...afterward were mines.**

“Mines?” Grover asked, his voice a little more high pitched than usual.

“How did Annabeth avoid the mines?” Nico asked.

“I have no idea.” Percy said honestly.

**I had to use all...black volcanic sand.**

“If you get to the beach then the sirens will descend.” Demeter warned.

**I looked around desperately...heads keep changing.**

“The heads keep changing?” Connor frowned.

“Yeah. It’s like how when you look at mom you see who you like or who you think is beautiful. Except the sirens look like the people you want to see the most, those who make you feel safe.” Silena explained.

“It’s how they hunt. Look like someone who makes you feel safe to draw you in and give you a false sense of security, then they eat you.” Will added.

“Wonderful.” Rachel grimaced.

**I couldn’t hear them...Grover, Tyson, Chiron.**

Chiron and Poseidon both smiled happily. Chiron was touched and pleased that he was someone who made Percy feel safe. Especially given his general experience with adults, especially teachers.

Poseidon was also delighted. Given that his only real interaction with his son so far had been to accidentally call him a mistake and generally make a mess of things, it was good to know that his son still felt safe with him. 

Annabeth wondered if Percy didn’t feel safe with her. She wasn’t sure whether it could be because she was already there with him. He would know that she wasn’t on the beach so it wouldn’t make him feel safe. She hoped that was it because it would hurt to know that after everything they had been through, Percy still didn’t feel safe with her.

**All the people...feasting on Monster Donuts.**

Poseidon, Grover and Chiron all grimaced at that description.

**Annabeth swam toward them...must’ve been seeing them.**

Annabeth sighed. She knew what was now coming. Of course the book couldn’t skip over this and go straight to them back on the boat. 

**Three people sat on...at the goddess Athena.**

Athena sighed softly. She understood where her daughter was coming from. Despite coming from the most messed up family ever, she knew that every child wanted their parents to be together. Plus it seemed like all demigod children desperately wanted the immortal parents around more. If the wistful and longing looks on the other demigod’s faces was anything to go by, this dream was a common one. Still, she knew those dreams were simply not possible.

**Next to them sat a young man… Luke.**

All of the wistful expressions suddenly turned into surprise or disgust.

“You still liked Luke?” Leo asked without thinking. He regretted it when Annabeth glared at him ferociously. 

“I hoped he could be saved.” She said through gritted teeth.

**The whole scene glowed...if he were still her friend.**

Hermes wished that could be true. He would do anything to hear that his son gave up this madness and came back to them. Or even better, that he could use this information to make sure his son never turned on them in the first place.

**Behind the trees of...everything she’d ever wanted.**

“That does sound pretty awesome.” Thalia smiled slightly. 

Percy frowned. It still stung that he wasn’t part of Annabeth’s perfect future. She would rather get Luke back. He supposed it might be to do with her fatal flaw. He didn’t need ‘fixing’ the way Luke did so she didn’t need to do anything with him. Maybe. Or maybe he was not required in her future. Maybe he was always going to be her second choice. 

**I blinked hard...but I held on.**

“Sorry.” Annabeth said but she was clearly holding back laughter. Other people weren’t so restrained.

**I willed the currents...floating mine.**

Poseidon and Athena both cringed.

“Get her underwater.” Poseidon suggested. “She won’t be able to hear them.” 

“Yeah, you should know that Percy. That’s how you shut Annabeth up on your last quest.” Travis snickered.

**I didn’t know what...like a minor problem.**

“A minor problem?” Athena yelled. “My daughter not being able to breathe is more than a minor problem.”

“So is being blown up because she made us hit a mine.” Percy pointed out. 

“Besides, Percy can allow others to breathe underwater as he can create an air bubble around them.” Poseidon added.

**I grabbed her...pressure than Annabeth.**

“At least you know that much.” Athena allowed grudgingly.

**She fought and...being pulled toward me.**

“Well that’s certainly one way of doing it.” Poseidon smiled. 

“I love the way your brain works.” Leo chuckled.

**The sea obeyed...Only our legs stuck into the water.**

“Making a bubble out of bubbles. Nice.” Jason said admiringly. Poseidon gave his son a proud smile. It seemed he was picking up on his powers very easily. His mind was certainly a bit strange but he always got there in the end and mastered all of his abilities with ease.

“You have such cool powers.” Leo noted. Percy grinned proudly.

**She gasped and coughed...and I held her.**

All of the teenage males looked slightly horrified and many of them shot Percy sympathetic looks. The females all glared at them.

**Fish gathered to...I told them.**

“Fish are such gossips. News of the two of you will be all over the sea very shortly.” Poseidon chuckled.

“Fish gossip?” Piper asked. Poseidon and Percy both nodded.

“A lot of sea creatures are big gossips.” Percy said with a slight frown. 

“I sort of wish I could talk to animals.” Piper mused. While she wasn’t really into gossip, it would be quite fun. She had always loved animals.

**They swam off...bottom of Siren Bay.**

Athena scowled.

“Did that actually happen?” Annabeth asked.

“Yep. Even dad ended up hearing some stories. I had to correct quite a few of them.” Percy admitted. Poseidon blinked. He wondered how he had reacted to hearing these stories about his son with a girl. He hoped he had taken the news with a pinch of salt, after all he did know what the fish were like.

**“I’ll get us back...away from the island.**

“Nice. I assume you were controlling the ship too or was it disobeying you?” Nico asked. “I mean, we saw how good you were with Cerberus.”

“I was controlling it.” Percy said, sticking his tongue out at Nico.

**We stayed underwater...just to be sure.**

“Good idea.” Apollo nodded.

“Better safe than sorry. If you get put under the siren spell Annabeth would never be able to save you given your advantage in the water.” Chris agreed.

**We sailed until the...powerful the temptation would be.”**

Annabeth shivered slightly. Despite the fact she remembered very little of the entire event, she could still recall the completely overwhelming need to get to the sirens. 

**I didn’t want to...I owed it to Annabeth.**

“Thanks.” She said. While she wasn’t happy that Percy had seen her vision, she was glad that he had admitted it.

**“I saw the way you...“And Luke and your parents.”**

“That city was amazing.” Percy told her. Annabeth smiled. 

**She blushed...My fatal flaw is hubris.”**

“That is a horrible flaw to have.” Hermes grimaced.

“But quite a common one with children of Athena. The same way ambition or desire for power is a common one for children of Zeus.” Apollo said. Thalia grimaced. Then she studied Jason. She wondered what his flaw was.

“They are all horrible in their way, hence why they are fatal.” Athena pointed out. 

**I blinked. “That brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?”**

There was a stunned silence before the room erupting into laughter. All of the Gods were shaking their heads in exasperation.

“Wow.” Thalia said. “Really kelp head?” 

“Hummus...hubris. Almost the same thing.” Percy grinned sheepishly.

“No. Absolutely not.” Will managed to say through his laughter. It took a little while for the room to regain control so Apollo could keep reading.

**She rolled her eyes...Hubris is worse.”**

“That’s debatable.” Leo said. Piper rolled her eyes.

**“What could be worse than hummus?”**

“Nothing.” Will said.

“You don’t like hummus?” Nico asked. Will shook his head violently. 

“It’s wrong. Just plain wrong.” Nico laughed at the vehement reaction.

**“Hubris means deadly...“I’m listening.”**

“Of course you’d be listening to no homework.” Chiron sighed, giving Percy an amused look.

“Who wouldn’t want no homework?” Percy asked. All the demigods except Annabeth nodded their agreement. Even Apollo and Hermes nodded despite never having actually done homework. Chiron and Athena both shook their heads in exasperation. 

**“I mean, the West...of be a nightmare.”**

A few of the Gods let out sighs of relief at this declaration. 

“That is true.” Will said.

“It would be chaos if Percy ruled the world.” Clarisse agreed.

“Feeling the love guys.” Percy complained. It might be true but they didn’t have to agree with him. He would never want to rule the world. It was far too much responsibility and far too much work. It was bad enough it sounded like he was going to be responsible for saving the world.

“I think running the world would be too much responsibility for one person. Plus too much of a burden.” Jason said. It was why they had two Praetors for Camp Jupiter and that was just a camp, not even close to the world. 

“It is a burden. That’s why everything was divided into domains.” Hestia explained. “And why we have the Olympian Council.”

“I thought that was to keep him in check.” Poseidon gestured towards Zeus who immediately started protesting. Then they started arguing about how mature they were and how they didn’t need anyone keeping an eye on them, eventually dragging Hades into the argument as well.

“It was to make sure none of us gets too much power and upsets the balance.” Hestia cut in, stopping the argument.

**“Then you’re lucky...‘fatal’ for nothing.”**

“That is true.” Athena nodded.

“So you two know your flaws. Hubris and excessive personal loyalty. What about Thalia and Nico?” Hermes asked. Poseidon smiled slightly. Loyalty was a very rare flaw to have. His children were usually reckless and impulsive. Athena and Apollo looked thoughtful.

“Mine is ambition.” Thalia admitted.

“Mine is holding grudges.” Nico said after a lot of prompting. Hades nodded. That was a common flaw of his children.

“Thinking about it, either Percy’s flaw is not loyalty or he has a very good handle on his flaw without even realising.” Apollo stated. Percy frowned at the God.

“What do you mean? Percy is ridiculously loyal.” Grover said. 

“Hmm.” Athena made a non committal noise. “I think I’m with Apollo.” 

“Obviously Percy is very loyal by the sounds of it but thinking about the last book, a twelve year old with a flaw of loyalty should never have been able to leave his mother in the underworld or have left her to take care of that  _ thing _ by herself.” Apollo reasoned.

“However, it would seem that the boy is very reckless, which is a common flaw of children of Uncle Poseidon.” Athena added. “His recklessness could also translate into loyalty in some situations. Such as going to the Underworld in the first place to get his mother back. That could be loyalty or recklessness. There was also the occasion when he chose not to leave my daughter and the Satyr on the bus when the Furies attacked. It could be loyalty but his actions to protect them were incredibly reckless, something he even noted in his thoughts. So far Perseus has shown loyalty but not an excessively dangerous amount. However he has certainly been shown to be reckless even when it could get him vapourised by one or more of us. Such as sending Medusa’s head.” Zeus scowled furiously at the reminder. “And according to your own accounts, he continues to behave in such a way, particularly to us Gods.” 

Everyone looked at the wisdom Goddess in surprise. It was well known that Percy was loyal to a fault so they had thought that was definitely his flaw.

“It was you who told me my flaw was loyalty Lady Athena.” Percy pointed out.

“That may be but I’m sure the future me has not had the same insight into your doings as I have.” Athena reminded him. Percy considered this. Recklessness being his fatal flaw would sort of make sense. Maybe he was just unlucky enough to have two fatal flaws. That would certainly fit with the way his life had gone so far.

“It is possible to have more than one fatal flaw?” He asked. Athena considered.

“Yes. There will always be one flaw that is the most prominent and most likely to be fatal in the end however you can have others.” 

**I thought about that...own parents back together.**

Poseidon smiled sadly while Percy sighed. He knew it would never happen, his father was  _ married _ for goodness sake and that wasn’t even the biggest obstacle, but still…

**I pictured my mom...seemed so far away.**

“Do blue waffles smell different to regular waffles?” Leo asked curiously. The awkwardness around the room was palpable and it was the first question that popped into his head. Percy grinned, happy to have a distraction.

“Yes. Yes they do.” He nodded. “They smell much better.”

“I think you’re biased.” Thalia said with a laugh.

“Maybe but it’s still true.” Percy shrugged.

**“So was it worth it?”...half-bloods might join him.**

The Gods exchanged worried glances. That was a good point. It was well known that Hubris was one of the most common flaws in a demigod along with ambition. Both of those flaws could be easily used by Kronos to manipulate their children into joining him.

“Far too many.” Chris sighed. Zeus glared at him as he was reminded the son of Hermes had originally betrayed them.

“H-how many?” Aphrodite asked nervously.

“We don’t know.” Annabeth answered honestly. “Enough to make him rise again through pledges. Quite a few left camp to join him but there are also many demigods who never even make it to camp.” All of the Olympians were wondering how many, if any, of their children had joined Kronos. 

“Plus, it’s already been mentioned that there are spies at camp.” Will added with a sigh. It was a shame Chris didn’t know any of the more recent spies. Both the people he had named were either dead or had left camp.

**I thought about my...opened that coffin lid?**

“I mean, father isn’t exactly pretty.” Poseidon shrugged. Then he paused. Zeus had cut their father into pieces. He did not have a body to return to, the pledges would only bring back his essence. He would need a body to take over temporarily until he had enough power to recreate his own original body. He figured he wouldn’t mention that part quite yet. 

**Suddenly Annabeth’s eyes...home of the Cyclops.**

“About time too.” Dionysus said. He wanted to hear that they had rescued the Satyr and had the fleece. While he obviously knew they had done it, he still didn’t like hearing about Satyrs in danger.

“Indeed.” Grover bleated. 

“I like cutting it close.” Percy grinned.

“Don’t I know it.” Grover complained.

“The chapter is done.” Apollo announced.

“My turn.” Hermes said, taking the book from his friend. 


	14. We Meet the Sheep of Doom

Everyone looked momentarily confused when Hermes read the title out. Then they burst out laughing.

“Sheep of doom?” Frank asked, looking both confused and amused.

“Yep. Do not underestimate the sheep.” Percy nodded seriously.

**When you think...not a good sign.**

Thalia cringed. That sounded awful.

**You might as...LIVES HERE.**

There was another round of laughter at this.

“I love how you think a rope bridge across a chasm means something evil, but a nice person offering you a makeover or food for free is perfectly fine.” Jason noted.

“Two of those had magic.” Piper pointed out.

**But except for that...and white beaches.**

“It does sound very nice.” Silena smiled a little.

“Except for the Satyr eating Cyclops.” Grover muttered.

“Well, yes. There is that.” Silena conceded.

“Besides, it won’t look that nice once the fleece is removed.” Will said.

**As we sailed toward...whatever that is.”**

“Originally it was a very nice island.” Poseidon sighed. Polyphemus may be a monster in every sense of the word but he was still his son.

“Yeah. The stories say he ran it into the ground before he stole the fleece.” Connor said.

“How do you know that?” Will asked in surprise.

“I read.” Connor said defensively. Will raised an eyebrow. “Oh alright, I heard Annabeth mention it sometime.” 

“That’s more like it.” Chris laughed.

**I felt a little guilty...we had no choice.**

“You feel guilty for the strangest things.” Thalia frowned.

“It was just so beautiful. It felt wrong to ruin something so nice.” Percy shrugged. 

“You’re so weird.” Travis laughed.

**Camp Half-Blood was...the size of hippos.**

“Those are some big sheep.” Leo said, eyes wide.

“I take it those are the sheep of doom?” Nico asked.

“Yep.” Annabeth nodded.

**Just past them was...A dragon or…”**

“Yeah, there used to be a dragon.” Will frowned.

“Polyphemus didn’t need a dragon.” Clarisse muttered.

“Although it’s now guarded by Peleus.” Beckendorf reminded them. “So it is once again guarded by a dragon.”

**That’s when a...of clean white bones.**

“Holy Hera.” Travis whispered. Hera scowled at her name being used in such a way.

“I see why Percy called them the sheep of doom now.” Chris nodded.

“Meat eating sheep?” Demeter frowned.

“Yup. They would eat anything that wasn’t a Cyclops.” Percy said.

“Piranha sheep.” Leo snickered.

**Annabeth and I...from the CSS Birmingham.**

Ares let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

“Oh good. Clarisse must be there.” Chris smiled. Clarisse scowled. There really hadn’t been anything good about her being there at that moment. She just knew the book would mention how she was the one who almost ended up married.

“Yeah. She didn’t wasn’t delayed like we were.” Annabeth said.

“Does that mean Tyson is there too?” Beckendorf asked hopefully.

“Not yet.” Percy sighed.

**We decided there...would go wrong.**

Athena heaved a sigh of relief. Once again the sea spawn was showing at least a little intellect. Her daughter had made a few  _ interesting _ choices on this quest so far and Athena was grateful that the son of Poseidon seemed to choose those moments to have his own flashes of intelligence. Although he had let her daughter get away towards the sirens, he had done well to save her again.

“Listen to Percy.” Thalia nodded.

“Apart from the fact that something always goes wrong, if they are meat eating sheep they will probably still be able to smell you.” Nico pointed out.

**The sheep would smell...likely to be seen there.**

A few people nodded.

**The cliffs looked...back at camp.**

“At least you are able to climb it. And you’ve had practise.” Dakota commented.

“Yeah but at camp there are healers around if you fall. And the wall is not two hundred feet.” Will said nervously.

“Also, climbing up might be alright but how do you plan to get back down again, especially with the fleece?” Connor asked.

“With difficulty?” Offered Percy.

“Sounds about right.” Thalia muttered.

**At least it was free...carnivorous mountain goats.**

A few people chuckled once more.

“He doesn’t, does he?” Hazel asked anxiously. 

“Thankfully no.” Percy smiled at the daughter of Pluto.

**We rowed a lifeboat...the better climber.**

“You bet I am.” Annabeth smirked.

“You’ve had a lot more practise.” Clarisse pointed out.

“Besides, that’s not true anymore.” Percy said. “Now it’s about even.” 

**We only came...was pretty good.**

“Six or seven times? That’s not good.” Poseidon cried out.

“That’s Percy optimism. Not really optimistic at all.” Thalia groaned. She could not imagine climbing up two hundred feet. The urge to look down would be high and then she’d probably fall or just plain die of fright.

“Well, I don’t often have much cause to be optimistic.” Percy shrugged.

**Once, I lost my grip...above the rocky surf.**

“Could have done with you not describing how you nearly died.” Apollo said weakly. Will and Percy both threw the God some odd looks.

“It’s a good job I know you live.” Poseidon said, directing Percy’s attention back to him. “I swear when we get to reading the future, you are going to be the first person to give a God a heart attack.” Percy grinned at his father sheepishly.

“Sorry dad but my life really isn’t safe. I doubt it’s going to get any better.” The sea God groaned but knew his son spoke the truth. He really didn’t know how he was going to get through another seven books. Especially as five of them were about the future.

**But I found another...her foot slipped.**

Athena grimaced and had to glance over at her daughter to make sure she was still there and ok.

**Fortunately, she found...was my face.**

“Ouch.” Leo muttered. Everyone else burst out laughing.

“That’s twice she’s kicked you in the face in one day.” Nico noted in amusement.

“Sorry Percy.” Annabeth sai. She looked slightly more remorseful this time.

“Well. I suppose it’s better than you falling.” Percy said though he grimaced. His poor face had been quite bruised after that particular day.

**“Sorry,” she murmured...Annabeth’s sneaker tasted like.**

“Good?” Thalia said slowly. “I think I’d be quite worried if you had.” 

**Finally, when my...another voice.**

“Oh what now?” Reyna asked.

“I guess they found Polyphemus.” Beckendorf winced.

**If I hadn’t been...right below us.**

“Well, at least he isn’t likely to see you if he’s below you.” Frank said.

**“You’re a feisty one!”...and I’ll fight you!”**

“Well, you found Clarisse.” Chris smiled.

“Although, it sounds like she’s been captured.” Will noted.

“Polyphemus would be very difficult to beat.” Athena frowned at the daughter of Ares. Clarisse nodded. She definitely knew that.

“My daughter can beat him.” Ares said confidently. Clarisse did a double take and stared at her father in astonishment. So did everyone else in the room. He cringed a little at all of the attention but then straightened up. “I have faith you could beat him.” He added, looking directly at Clarisse. It was worth it to see the small, tentatively pleased expression creep across her face.

“Thank you, father.” She said though her voice was careful. Ares regretted that he was the cause of that. He wanted his children to be successful and demanded a high standard from them but they should not be afraid of him. It was also made worth it when Aphrodite finally smiled at him once more. 

**The monster roared...in his wedding dress.**

“Thanks for throwing that in there, Perc.” Grover complained good naturedly.

“You’re welcome.” Percy grinned in return.

**Clarisse was tied up...pot of boiling water.**

Ares scowled angrily and Clarisse sighed. Of course this would be happening just when her father decided to show some faith in her. 

Thalia watched Annabeth carefully. She wasn’t sure if seeing this would have brought back bad memories. Especially as she had recounted their little adventure to Percy not that long ago. Thankfully she seemed fine. 

**I was half hoping...no sign of him.**

Poseidon frowned. If his son was not rescued by Ares’ daughter then where was he? And how did he survive? 

“If he wasn’t with Clarisse, then how did you find him again?” Jason asked. It had to be pretty difficult to find one Cyclops in the entire Sea of Monsters. It didn’t seem like it would be a small location.

“You’ll find out.” Percy smiled. He missed Tyson.

**“Hmm,” Polyphemus pondered...“Who— Grover?”**

“Really?” Will looked at Clarisse in frustration. 

“Please tell me she shuts up?” Connor asked.

“Nope.” Percy sighed. Clarisse gritted her teeth.

**Next to me...Clarisse yelled.**

“CLARISSE!” All of the Greek campers yelled. “Shut up!”

“Yes. Please shut up, Clary.” Dionysus said through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t know he was supposed to be in disguise.” Clarisse growled.

“He was in a wedding dress! You can’t think that would be voluntary?” Will asked in astonishment. “Plus it’s pretty common knowledge that Cyclopes eat Satyrs.”

“I made a mistake alright.” She glared angrily.

“Guys, this already happened and obviously they all got out ok.” Chris tried to calm everyone down, while still holding Clarisse tightly.

“I’m assuming that’s only because Percy and Annabeth are there.” Connor muttered.

**“Oh!” Grover yelped...from that hot water.**

“Good save. Let’s hope he goes for that.” Beckendorf nodded.

“What brain?” Will muttered to himself. Chris glared at Will for that but he was also grateful Clarisse didn’t seem to hear.

**Pull her down, dear!”...an entire wedding party.**

“I think he got those at the wedding shop I was hiding in.” Grover said to reassure everyone that had not actually happened.

**“What satyr?”...in the wedding dress!”**

Now everyone was glaring at Clarisse, even the Romans. 

“Seriously?” Leo whistled.

“You didn’t have enough of a clue that Grover was trying to maintain a disguise? While trying to get you let down from hanging over the boiling water.” Dionysus glared at Clarisse.

“Well, the whole thing caught her by surprise and it’s probably quite difficult to think when you’re hanging upside down over boiling water.” Silena defended her friend. Clarisse shot her a grateful look. Dionysus scoffed but didn’t say anything further.

**I wanted to wring Clarisse’s neck,**

Quite a few people nodded in agreement while Clarisse glared at the floor.

**but it was too late...monster swiped over his head.**

“Sorry, Grover.” Clarisse said as Dionysus’ glare increased.

“Don’t worry. I think you paid for it.” Grover smirked as he recalled who Polyphemus wanted to marry instead of him. Still, it would have been nice not to be ratted out to a bloodthirsty Cyclops.

**“Stop!” Grover pleaded...all sorts of horrible things.**

“It’s a good plan but do Cyclopes even care about that sort of thing?” Will asked curiously.

“Doubtful.” Poseidon said. “Especially as those things wouldn’t affect him. If he even knew what they are.”

**I’ll taste much...I’ll just wait here.”**

“That’s a better idea.” Connor nodded.

“You’re getting better at making things up on the spot.” Travis agreed with his brother.

  
“It would be hard to get worse.” Chris pointed out.

"Almost anything is better than two people and a Satyr drowning together in a bathtub." Dakota commented. A few people chuckled at that.

“Nothing like the threat of imminently being eaten to make your brain work.” Thalia laughed.

“He doesn’t have to stall long. Just long enough for Percy and Annabeth to come up with a plan.” Nico said.

“It would be better if his idea works and Polyphemus goes to pick mangoes. Gives them a chance to escape.” Jason pointed out.

**The monster pondered this...monster kill Grover.**

“Thanks, Perc but I’d rather you didn’t die saving me.” Grover said. Quite a few people nodded vigorously in agreement.

“I didn’t charge, did I?” Percy reminded him.

**“Grilled satyr with...can rip your arms off!”**

“Somehow I don’t see that happening.” Reyna said slowly.

“Even if he was stupid enough to untie you I don’t think you actually could rip his arms off with your bare hands.” Jason pointed out.

“I don’t think anyone is that stupid.” Piper commented.

“Plus, you really aren’t in a spot to be making any threats.” Travis laughed.

“You’re hanging upside down…” Connor started.

“Over boiling water.” Will continued. “So if he untied you, you’d fall into the water.” 

“Come on guys. Lay off. We've all made mistakes." Everyone was surprised that it was Percy who spoke up. They expected him to be the angriest, given that his best friend was the one likely to be paying the price for her stupidity. "This already happened and we all made it out ok. Plus, it's not like I haven't done stupid stuff." He shrugged in response to the confused looks he was getting. Clarisse and Chris both shot him grateful looks. 

**“Rip my arms off,” Polyphemus...for the main course!”**

“Er, if he’s eating Grover, why is there still a wedding?” Leo asked.

**“But… you’re still...“Who’s the bride?”**

“Really? You’re upset he’s still getting married?” Thalia looked at Grover as if he were crazy.

“Did you want to get married? Was he growing on you?” Percy asked his best friend in a teasing voice. 

“Of course not!” Grover bleated.

“Oh my gods!” Will burst out. “He’s going to marry Clarisse.” With that he dissolved into laughter. The rest of the room, except Ares, Clarisse and Chris followed soon after. 

“Cl...Clarisse is married?” Connor managed to ask through his laughter.

“No!” Clarisse glared murderously. 

“We talked her out of it.” Percy sniggered. Hermes finally took pity on his son’s girlfriend and began reading over the laughter. People soon sobered up so they could listen.

**Polyphemus looked toward...can’t be serious. I’m not—”**

“Bet you regret giving Grover away now.” Dakota said.

“I made a mistake. I didn’t want Grover eaten.” Clarisse glared. 

**Before Annabeth...Tammany, Lockhart, etc.**

“Some interesting names for sheep.” Silena noted.

“Percy has a hellhound called Mrs O’Leary.” Annabeth shrugged.

“That’s weird too.” Beckendorf said with a chuckle.

**When the last...and Grover screaming inside.**

Ares scowled angrily.

“Well, that makes life difficult.” Thalia frowned.

“Yep.” Percy nodded, grimacing.

**“Mangos,” Polyphemus...we couldn’t tell.**

“Nope. We couldn’t hear you.” Grover said. “Although, that could have been to do with the amount of noise Clarisse was making.”

“Could you tell through our empathy link that I was nearby?” Percy asked.

“No. It doesn’t really do distance.” Grover sighed.

**Even if by some...the Cyclops do it.**

“Argh, if only Tyson would show up.” Beckendorf groaned.

**In total frustration...fight with a magic sword.**

“Nope. You need a good plan instead.” Athena said.

“Good job Annabeth was there.” Thalia smirked. Percy punched her lightly on the shoulder.

"I could have come up with a plan."

"Not a good one that would actually work." Nico laughed. Percy stuck his tongue out.

**Annabeth and I sat...apart for sheep hooves.**

“At least you don’t have to worry about the man eating ones.” Frank said.

“Not yet anyway.” Percy grumbled.

“You picked a fight with man eating sheep?” Leo asked.

“No. But they were the ones guarding the fleece. There was no way to get it without dealing with them somehow.” Grover told him.

**We watched as...and became a vegetarian.**

“Yes!” Grover and Piper exclaimed excitedly. Most of the other demigods pulled grossed out faces. Thalia in particular looked rather horrified.

“Sorry guys. Cheeseburgers are too good to give up.” Percy grinned. Thalia nodded in relief. Grover sighed.

**“Trickery,” Annabeth decided...which is grosser.”**

Clarisse and Grover both grimaced. 

“I think eating someone is grosser.” Piper said, looking grim.

**“I could get inside,”...do you like sheep?”**

“Less than I did.” Percy grumbled.

“Oh, so you’re going to repeat what Odysseus did.” Will guessed. Annabeth nodded.

“A very good plan.” Chiron praised. He really was proud of how well his students were doing. Annabeth beamed.

**“Just don’t let go!”...the belly of a sheep.**

Everyone started laughing at that image.

“You end up in the weirdest situations.” Jason said. Percy shrugged. It wasn’t like he could help it.

**Now, I’ll admit it wasn’t...mouth and my nose.**

The laughter grew louder.

“Oh I wish there were pictures.” Connor chuckled.

“There should be pictures of this entire quest.” Travis agreed. “It would be even more hilarious.” 

“I’m so glad there are no pictures.” Grover muttered.

“Me too.” Percy agreed firmly.

**In case you’re...smell that great.**

Honestly, I wasn’t wondering that at all.” Nico stated, wrinkling his nose.

“I don’t think anyone wonders what the underside of sheep smell like.” Hermes said.

“I kind of was.” Leo admitted. Everyone gave him weird looks.

**Imagine a winter sweater...Something like that.**

“Gross.” Piper said.

“Yes it was.” Percy nodded.

**The sun was going down...hold me to it.**

“Yes we would.” Athena nodded. 

“You never did say that.” Annabeth frowned. Athena glared at the son of Poseidon who was smirking.

“I did.”

“No you didn’t. I’m pretty sure I would remember that.”

“Not if you were asleep when I said it.” His grin widened.

“That’s cheating.” 

“Nice! I love loopholes.” Chris chuckled.

**My sheep taxi...in my hair either.**

“Rock climbing in your hair?” Travis asked as he burst out laughing once more.

  
“You have the best brain ever.” Connor said, also laughing hard.

**But if I didn’t hold...eat you for breakfast!”**

“Poor sheep.” Piper frowned.

**And just like that...happened to be his front door)**

“Well that’s handy.” Beckendorf said. 

“That’s some good luck, so everything is probably about to go to Hades.” Thalia muttered. Hades grumbled and Nico glared at her for the use of the God’s name as a curse.

**and threw it towar...there was silence.**

Athena gripped the couch tightly. A few other people were also looking concerned while Annabeth rolled her eyes but was secretly pleased to be able to see how much her mother cared.

**Then Annabeth shouted...any better, either!”**

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, even those who still remembered that Annabeth was clearly fine.

**Polyphemus howled...me kill you, Nobody!”**

“Well…” Chris pretended to consider. “Since you asked so nicely. How about no?” A few people chuckled.

**“You can’t kill Nobody...the whole male/female thing.**

“He did think Grover was a lady Cyclops though. Given that he can’t see well he must have thought Grover sounded feminine.” Rachel laughed. Grover glared at the mortal girl.

“I do not sound feminine.” 

“Of course not, G-Man. You sound very manly.” Percy told him though he sounded like he was trying to hold back laughter. 

“Even with his voice being possibly feminine, I still don’t get how you confuse a female Cyclops and a male Satyr.” Piper said with a frown.

“Because he’s almost blind and  _ very _ stupid.” Percy said, finally succumbing to laughter. 

“This is the same Cyclops who thought that nine was less than seven.” Jason pointed out.

“I don’t care how he managed to get the two confused, I’m just glad he did.” Grover put in, ending the discussion.

**I just hoped Annabeth...as the work of Medusa.**

“Why would Medusa bother turning sheep to stone?” Poseidon asked curiously. 

“Money? I mean, her work is quite famous. Even Persephone buys some. Maybe Polyphemus requested some or something.” Nico shrugged. A few people gave him weird looks.

“Yes. I must speak with Persephone about not buying from her anymore.” Hades mused. 

**There were collections...supposed to be blown up!”**

“Wow. That’s your reaction to a rescue party showing up?” Reyna asked in astonishment.

“It’s my reaction to seeing people I thought were dead.” Clarisse shrugged.

“You didn’t have to sound as unhappy about him being alive as you did.” Grover muttered.

**“Good to see you...heard me! You came!”**

“Of course he did.” Thalia said.

**“Yeah, buddy,” I said...and mumbled, “Thanks.”**

“What?” Clarisse snapped as all the Greek demigods, except Chris and Silena, looked at her strangely.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologise.” Connor said.

“That’s because  _ you _ don’t deserve any apologies. You deserve whatever punishment you get.” Clarisse glared at him. “I can be grateful when it’s deserved.”

**“You’re welcome,”...guys made it out.”**

Poseidon grimaced. 

**I looked down...alive had just been crushed.**

The God pulled his son into a sideways hug. 

“You’re going to be talking to someone at the next break.” He whispered in his son’s ear. He sensed Percy’s annoyance but he did eventually nod reluctantly. 

**“Okay. Come on, then...crying out in fear.**

“What happened?” Athena asked anxiously.

“That chapter is over.” Hermes announced.

“Well somebody read quickly.” Athena shouted.

“Mom. I’m fine.” Annabeth assured her.

“I’ll read.” Connor said. “It’s my turn.” He took the book from his dad and began reading quickly because Athena was now glaring at him.


	15. Nobody Get the Fleece

“Nobody or nobody?” Travis asked. Then he let out a squeak as the Wisdom Goddess scowled at him. _Jeez, no wonder Annabeth is so scary_ , he thought.

**“I got Nobody!” Polyphemus gloated.**

Chiron and Athena both tensed up. Chiron still couldn’t believe how much the children had skipped when they told him what had happened.

**We crept to the...down by her legs.**

“Annie?” Thalia looked at her friend in concern. 

“Just a bit dazed.” She tried to reassure the Hunter.

"You were more than a little dazed." Grover pointed out.

"No, I think that came afterwards." Percy recalled with a wince. It had been his fault Polyphemus had dropped Annabeth on her head which was already injured.

"I was fine." Annabeth said firmly with a glance towards her mom.

**“Hah!” the Cyclops said...with mango chutney!”**

"You really made him fancy mango chutney." Hermes noted in amusement.

“Honestly I think I’d rather be made into chutney than have to marry him.” Annabeth laughed.

"Really? As long as you escaped before the honeymoon..." Travis shrugged.

“How about neither?” Her mother said.

“Yeah, I’d go for neither.” Rachel nodded. 

**Annabeth struggled...You and Grover—”**

“Please, Prissy. Like we’d let you fight him alone.” Clarisse scoffed. Ares nodded proudly.

“Annabeth is my friend too. I wasn’t just going to leave her.” Grover told Percy firmly. Poseidon and Athena both smiled, glad their children had loyal friends.

**“No way,” they said...ready to attack.**

“You are very brave.” Reyna commented. It took quite a lot of bravery to attack a monster who had already tried to marry you and tried to eat you. 

"I'm not sure how much damage a sheep bone is going to do to a Cyclops." Beckendorf pointed out.

"Probably about as much damage as a tincan would do to a Fury." Percy laughed.

"Maybe we should get Grover a proper weapon instead of him having to grab whatever rubbish is nearby." Beckendorf suggested.

"My tin cans are not rubbish." Grover put in indignantly. 

"They are as weapons." Clarisse rolled her eyes.

**“We’ll take him together,”...Clarisse about something.**

“Well, he’s supposed to be kind of a pacifist and that’s something Clarisse is definitely not.” Silena explained. “It would be strange for them to agree very often.”

“To be fair, not many people agree with Clarisse full stop.” Will pointed out. 

“Satyrs are supposed to be pacifists?” Piper asked in confusion.

“Well, they don’t have to be but they aren’t usually very violent.” Percy shrugged.

“I take it Coach Hedge is the exception then?” Leo asked. The Greek campers all laughed.

“Yes he is.” Grover nodded.

**“All right,” I said. “Attack plan Macedonia.”**

“Hmm. A good plan but you are likely to need more people for that to work effectively against a monster of his size.” Chiron said. Percy nodded. Sadly they hadn't exactly had many options with only three of them and only two having decent weapons.

“What is that?” Reyna asked. She wanted to learn more about how the Greeks did their fighting. They often seemed to fight as individuals rather than as a legion like the Romans did so she was interested to see what kind of plans they had for group attacks. None of the Greeks answered. 

**They nodded...attention in the front.**

“That is a decent attack plan.” Ares stated.

Reyna nodded. It was a sound plan but she agreed with the Centaur. More people would be better.

“So Fau...Satyrs are actually given training courses on how to fight?” Frank asked in surprise.

“Of course.” Grover said. “We are protectors. We might not like fighting much but we still need to know how to protect ourselves and our charges.” 

"I still those panpipes count as a weapon." Thalia muttered too quietly for Grover to hear her. 

**Probably what this...bucket of nose drool!”**

“You need better insults.” Clarisse rolled her eyes.

“That was pretty bad.” Thalia nodded.

“Nose drool.” Leo snickered. Piper rolled her eyes at him.

**It didn’t sound quite...to stab your eye out again.”**

“That’s a much better taunt.” Clarisse stated.

**“RAAAR!” he bellowed...motionless as a rag doll.**

Athena was itching to go over to her daughter and check her for injuries right now. Chiron was also having to resist such an impulse. Everyone else inhaled sharply. Percy winced once more while Annabeth shot him a look that clearly told him not to worry about it.

**The other bad news...monster’s forehead.**

“Good try?” Nico offered weakly

**Clarisse ran in...to step on it.**

“Good idea but that spear won’t do much damage to something his size.” Ares told her. Clarisse nodded. “Also, it would do less damage because it was not a celestial bronze spear.” He added.

"It did slow him down a bit though." Clarisse pointed out to her dad. He smiled.

"Yes I suspect it would do." 

"And slowing him down is quite important when you're trying to run away." Rachel stated.

**He wailed in pain...advancing on me.**

Poseidon groaned. While his friends had had good intentions not to leave him, somehow his son still had to fight on his own...against his other son. Obviously he was rooting for Percy to win but that didn't mean he wanted to hear about the death of Polyphemus. No matter how much of a monster he was.

**I moved in with...much too big and powerful.**

“You’ll need a lot more of that to make him disintegrate.” Thalia sighed.

**“Get Annabeth!” I yelled at Grover.**

“Yes please.” Athena muttered.

**He rushed over, grabbed her invisibility cap,**

“Thanks for getting that.” Annabeth said.

“Couldn’t leave that behind.” Percy grinned. “It’s far too useful.”

**and picked her...she was too quick.**

“Of course she was.” Chris grinned at her girlfriend and squeezed her shoulders.

“That’s my girl.” Ares nodded proudly. 

**And as soon as...ankle or the hand.**

“You two actually made a good team.” Grover commented.

**But we couldn’t...it gave me an idea.**

A few people winced.

“Hey!” Percy complained. “Not all my plans are horrible.” 

“It was actually a good idea.” Clarisse spoke up.

“So something went wrong then?” Thalia guessed. Clarisse and Grover nodded while Percy pouted.

**“Fall back!” I told...and make him mad.**

“Slowing him down could make all the difference.” Ares stated.

“Especially as, being so much bigger, he would most likely be faster than you guys.” Apollo added in.

“You’d probably have to stab him in the eye to actually kill him. Or the heart but that would be much more difficult.” Athena told them.

**“Grind you into...“Get Annabeth’s knife!”**

“That is actually a good plan.” Athena nodded approvingly. Percy grumbled under his breath about how she didn’t have to sound quite so surprised.

**His eyes widened...bridge sway wildly.**

“He’s too close. He’ll be able to jump across.” Poseidon sighed. This was harder to hear about than he had expected. 

“You guys still don’t even have the fleece.” Connor realised.

“And aren’t the man eating sheep on this side of the bridge?” Will recalled.

“How the heck did you get out of this mess?” Chris asked.

“You’ll find out.” Percy grinned.

**The ropes were...right next to us.**

“Damn.” Thalia groaned.

**“Failed!” he yelled gleefully...a baby-blue tuxedo kilt.**

“Well he’s had it.” Nico said confidently. 

“Yeah. He made Percy angry. That’s never a good idea.” Thalia nodded.

**Nobody was going...what I mean.**

“Did you actually think that?” Hermes asked with a bemused expression.

“I can’t remember. Possibly.” Percy shrugged. Everyone gave him weird looks.

**Strength coursed through...hovering over his eye.**

“Woah.” Leo breathed. That sounded incredible. 

“How on Olympus did you do that? There’s no water there and you haven’t mentioned it raining.” Athena was looking at Percy in astonishment. The other Gods, except Poseidon and Apollo, exchanged uneasy glances. The fact that he could defeat a fully grown Cyclops, alone, at the age of thirteen was pretty terrifying. If he could do that then, what could he do now, at almost sixteen? 

“How long was the fight?” Ares asked.

“Maybe a couple of minutes. Probably less.” Grover replied, thinking back.

“That’s impossible,” Zeus began.

“Well it’s clearly not impossible because he did it, but it should be.” Hades stated. Even with the Cyclops injured, it should not have been that easy.

“Note to self, never, _ever_ make Percy angry.” Travis whispered to his brother.

“Agreed.” Connor whispered back. Percy was looking around the room in confusion. 

“I was just angry and then it happened.” 

“You seem to gain strength from your emotions, especially anger or grief.” Poseidon noted. It was not the first time it had happened. “It might explain how you snapped the Minotaur horn off. Although it was raining then too.” In some ways it was a good thing. When most people got angry in a fight it made them sloppy but it seemed to make Percy a better fighter. However it could also be dangerous if he ever lost control. Especially if he used his power over water as well. He could cause some serious damage. Poseidon studied his son once more. It was a good thing that his son was a very good kid. Still, he could do with a few lessons on how to control his emotions and attempt to use them without going into a short blackout.

**“Uhhhhhhhh,” Polyphemus moaned...you waiting for?”**

“Oh, Percy. He isn’t Tyson.” Thalia looked at her cousin sadly.

“Yeah.” Percy sighed. “I know.”

**The Cyclops sounded...said the same thing.**

“Definitely.” Annabeth nodded.

**But Polyphemus sobbed...him in cold blood?**

“Because he tried to marry and kill two of your friends.” Jason pointed out. Although it was a bit of a stretch to call Clarisse his friend, especially back then.

“It is weird realising that some of the monsters we kill are actually our half siblings.” Thalia admitted. 

“Don’t tell me you freeze up every time you meet a son of Poseidon?” Athena asked.

“No.” Percy said through gritted teeth. “Polyphemus was the only one.” Poseidon grimaced. That meant he had met more of his other children. Just more things to not look forward to.

**“We only want...shouted. “Kill him!”**

“Listen to Clarisse.” Nico urged.

“It’s already happened. I can’t do anything now.” Percy reminded them.

"Idiot." Ares muttered. He had better not have gotten his daughter hurt with his foolishness.

"I hope you learn from this." Athena fixed him with a glare. Percy nodded.

**The monster sniffed...I eat you first.”**

Nobody was surprised by this turn of events.

**He opened his...nothing but net.**

“Nice!” Will called.

“Who did that?” Travis asked.

“Whoever it was is a damn good shot.” Connor grinned.

**The Cyclops choked...tumbled into the chasm.**

“Wow. That must have been a pretty powerful shot too.” Thalia frowned.

“Tyson!” Beckendorf grinned proudly. That was the only person it could be.

**I turned...as nice as we look.”**

“Thank the Gods for Tyson.” Chris let out a sigh of relief.

“Just the one God.” Annabeth joked. 

“Hey, it said Tyson was with the killer sheep. They must not be able to tell the difference between Cyclopes. Tyson can get the fleece for you.” Thalia realised. 

“That’s a much easier solution than I was picturing.” Rachel said. A lot of people nodded their agreement.

“Oh well, I’m sure something else will go wrong.” Nico said gloomily. Percy sighed. He couldn't even deny it.

**Tyson gave us...he asked, puzzled.**

“Oh bless him.” Rachel laughed.

"He still takes everything literally but he's getting better." Percy said with a grin.

“Aww, that’s sweet. Rainbow followed Tyson all the way to the Sea of Monsters. That is one dedicated Hippocampi.” Silena smiled.

**“No!” I knelt beside...skin was pale and clammy.**

Athena bit her lip in concern. She hoped the boy would think to use the fleece.

**Grover and I exchanged...“Oh. Pretty. Yes.”**

“Good.” Chiron nodded.

“At least it’s distinctive.” Percy said.

**Tyson lumbered over...precious gold wool.**

“That is one heavy rug.” Leo whistled. 

“And Tyson threw it like it was a frisbee.” Rachel noted.

**I spread it over...Please. Please.**

“Thanks.” Annabeth smiled at him.

“Anytime.” He grinned back.

“We helped.” Grover reminded her with a cheeky grin.

“True. Thanks guys.” Annabeth said.

**The color returned...talked me out of it.”**

“You mean he got dumped so Polyphemus could marry Clarisse.” Travis sniggered.

“I did not get dumped.” Grover said indignantly.

“You kinda did. You apparently weren’t his type.” Connor replied, desperately trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably.

“Oh shut up.” Grover bleated. The Stolls both cackled with laughter.

**“Annabeth,” I said...injected her with glitter.**

Annabeth grimaced. 

“That’s an unfortunate look.” Thalia laughed. “Wait, did I look like that when I got revived?” 

“No. You were not glittery.” Percy assured her. She sighed in relief.

**Meanwhile, Tyson...fresh meat nearby.**

“You really should have left by now.” Nico said anxiously.

“Yeah. We really should.” Grover sighed.

**“We have to go,” I said...people food this way!”**

Everybody laughed a little.

**He jogged off into...I’ll have to carry her.”**

“Duh! How did you not know that Percy.” Leo said sarcastically.

“I’ve never actually broken any ribs.” Percy shrugged.

**Before I could argue...tip of the island.**

“That’s really useful.” Beckendorf said.

“Yeah. I really didn’t fancy lugging Annabeth and the fleece all the way to the ship.” Clarisse nodded.

**“Incoming!” Tyson yelled...Clarisse protested.**

“She’ll be worse if the sheep get her.” Hazel pointed out.

"Yes, I would vote for a bit wet over being eaten down to the bone." Travis nodded. Piper and Silena both grimaced in disgust.

“Besides, Percy is there.” Will said. "He won't let them drown."

**“We can do it,” I insisted….we’re home free.”**

“Awww, you just jinxed it.” Thalia groaned. 

“To be honest, something would have gone wrong anyway.” Percy shrugged. “That’s just how my luck goes.” 

“Still, you don’t need to be jinxing it any more than it already has been.” 

**We almost made it...in each hand.**

“Really? How is that guy still alive?” Frank asked.

“He’s pretty tough. I mean, Tyson survived the ship explosion and he’s still a child in Cyclops terms.” Percy said.

“I didn’t think I would ever actually prefer Ma Gasket.” Piper muttered.

“Chapter is over.” Connor announced.

“One more and then I think we should take a break.” Chiron suggested. Everyone nodded. The demigods were all getting fidgety. Thankfully the book had been engaging enough that it kept there attention from wandering too much.

“I think I read twice last time. I was excited.” Hermes laughed. 

“That makes it my turn.” Poseidon said. Connor handed him the book and returned to his seat.


	16. I Go Down With the Ship

Poseidon grimaced. That wasn’t a good title.

“How do you sink a ship with a son of Poseidon on it?” Frank asked.

“Put a rock through the hull.” Beckendorf guessed. “He’s a pretty decent shot. He might not be able to see but he can still hear."

**“You’d think he’d run out of rocks,” I muttered.**

“You’re not that lucky.” Hades told his nephew.

“Don’t I know it.” Percy grumbled.

**“Swim for it!” Grover...“Traitor to your kind!”**

“No he is not.” Percy said sharply.

**Tyson froze...“I am not a traitor.”**

Everybody smiled.

“Good for Tyson.” Beckendorf smiled. Poseidon felt proud of his son.

**“You serve mortals!” Polyphemus shouted. “Thieving humans!”**

“You stole it in the first place.” Will frowned.

“You’re talking to a book.” Connor laughed.

"Tyson doesn't _serve_ anyone." Percy snarled. 

**Polyphemus threw his first boulder. Tyson swatted it aside with his fist.**

“Nice!” Will whistled.

“Is swatting stuff out of their air a son of Poseidon thing? That feels like it should be a child of Zeus thing?” Chris asked.

“No. It certainly isn’t a power of my children.” Poseidon stated. “It simply requires incredible reflexes.” 

“And a lot of strength to swat boulders aside. I don’t think Percy would be doing that.” Beckendorf pointed out.

**“Not a traitor,”...fell on his face.**

A few people chuckled but most of them knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

**That would’ve...salt water and growling.**

“It’s still funny.” Travis smirked.

“When you’re reading about it, sure. It was less funny being there.” Grover told him.

**“Percy!” Clarisse yelled...“No! He’ll kill you.”**

“Tyson is probably the one with the best chance of holding him off successfully.” Beckendorf pointed out. 

“Still Polyphemus is a lot older and bigger than Tyson.” Rachel said.

“His injuries should level the field.” Thalia stated.

**I’d already lost...I drew my sword.**

“Well Percy has beaten him once already.” Thalia stated. “He might not be as angry this time but he has Tyson.” 

“As long as Percy doesn’t hesitate this time.” Ares muttered. Percy grimaced. It wasn’t him this time, although he still hadn’t been able to kill the older Cyclops.

**Polyphemus advanced...blasted the rock to rubble.**

“Go Tyson!” Travis cheered.

**I willed the sea...onto the beach.**

“You’d probably have been better stabbing him in the eye.” Ares commented.

“Still, you kicked a Cyclops in the eye? That’s hilarious.” Connor snickered.

“I didn’t think water would hurt him.” Jason frowned. “He’s a son of Poseidon too.”

“It didn’t hurt him, just pushed him back.” Percy pointed out.

“Also, Cyclops don’t generally have as much control over the sea as my demigod children. They have other strengths.” Poseidon added. “So while it wouldn’t hurt him, Percy can still use it to his advantage like that.”

**“Destroy you!” Polyphemus...children of the gods!”**

“And even if it didn’t, it should not be used to lure Satyrs to their deaths.” Dionysus scowled.

“Technically, Polyphemus is a child of the Gods.” Annabeth pointed out. Percy shrugged.

“I meant demigod children, not monsters.”

**“I am a child of...won’t play favorites.”**

“That is true. I don’t interfere between two of my children.” Poseidon stated.

“Even if one of them is a monster?” Jason asked.

“Even then. I refuse to choose a side between my children. No matter how much I want to sometimes.” 

“How did you know he wouldn’t pick sides?” Thalia asked.

“I didn’t. I just hoped.” Percy shrugged. Poseidon smiled, glad his son thought he would be fair.

“If he’s tracking you through your voice why are you still talking?” Athena asked. Percy shrugged.

**Polyphemus roared...Nasty, tricky, lying!”**

“Says the guy who lied and tricked Percy a few minutes ago.” Gwen snorted.

**Grover was helping...Tyson stopped.**

“Oh no. First Percy, then Tyson.” Nico groaned.

“Tyson is such a softie I’m not surprised.” Silena said. “Plus, this is possibly the first other Cyclops he has met and he’s been called a traitor.” 

**“You weren’t raised right!”...spun toward his voice.**

“Damn.” Chris sighed.

“Tyson wasn’t raised at all.” Percy muttered angrily. It still bothered him that his brother had had to grow up on the streets being attacked by monsters.

**“Tyson!” I shouted...dozen jagged branches.**

Poseidon cringed.

“Were you ok?” Hazel asked.

“Yeah, just a glancing blow.” Percy told her with a small smile.

**I was bleeding and bruised...already damaged eye.**

“Nice.” Travis exclaimed. Most other people were nodding in agreement.

“It was pretty impressive to watch.” Clarisse admitted grudgingly.

“That sounds pretty complicated. What if you would have missed his face?” Frank asked.

“Then it would have been a pretty short fall compared to other ones I’m used to.” Percy shrugged. Poseidon cringed, recalling his son's jump from the arch.

“Seriously why do you keep using your feet? You have a sword.” Thalia asked in exasperation. He sighed but didn’t answer.

**Polyphemus yowled in pain…It just wasn’t right.**

“Seriously. Did you learn nothing from the last time you let him live?” Ares yelled in frustration. Poseidon sighed but he was secretly pleased that they spared his son.

**“Let him go,” I told Tyson. “Run.”**

Everyone groaned.

“It might have been stupid but I don’t regret it. Mostly.” Percy said. It sucked that the ship got sunk but that was partly Clarisse’s fault with her pride and her big mouth.

**With one last mighty...off to our right.**

“Well, at least he can’t see you.” Nico said.

“Wait for it.” Percy muttered.

**I summoned up...In your face, Cyclops!”**

“CLARISSE!” Everyone yelled.

“I know. I know.” She groaned. “I was stupid.” Poseidon, Dionysus and Athena glared. This was the second time she had opened her mouth at the wrong time and put all of them in jeopardy.

**Shut up, I wanted to yell.**

“Please do. Stop talking.” Thalia said through gritted teeth.

**“Rarrr!” Polyphemus...Tyson and me.**

Poseidon cringed. He thought of the chapter title and guessed the stupid girl was going to open her mouth again.

“See what happens when you’re unconscious Annabeth. Nobody else has any sense.” Will said. Annabeth nodded.

“Hey. I knew she was being stupid.” Percy pointed out.

“Yes but you left him alive. If you’d killed him then it wouldn’t matter that Clarisse can’t keep her mouth shut.” Travis reminded him.

**“Yeah, yeah!” Clarisse taunted...you idiot!”**

“CLARISSE!” Everyone yelled once more.

“You would do well to stop letting your pride talk.” Athena glared at the daughter of Ares.

“I know.” She nodded grimly.

**“Clarisse!” I yelled...of the Queen Anne’s Revenge.**

“Well you can’t blame that one on Percy’s bad luck.” Apollo said, glaring at Clarisse.

**You wouldn’t believe...were already going under.**

“Ok, that is really fast.” Reyna noted.

“Well there goes your transport.” Frank grimaced.

“The closest thing nearby is the rowboat Clarisse arrived in.” Nico said.

“Better than nothing?” Will offered.

“It won’t be quick enough to get them back. They are running out of time and Percy doesn’t have the wind flask anymore.” Hermes pointed out.

**“Dive!” I told Tyson...everything around it.**

“That’s true.” Poseidon said. He would usually use the opportunity to gloat about his domain but he was busy wondering how his sons were going to keep everyone safe.

**Clarisse was a strong...head by a beam.**

“True. The last thing they need is you unconscious.” Thalia nodded.

**We need help, I thought...communicate with each other.**

“That is also very useful. Can you do that outside of the water?” Annabeth asked.

“No.” Percy told her. “Only under water.”

**Rainbow, Tyson said...neck of a hippocampus.**

“Thank goodness.” Athena heaved a sigh of relief.

“It’s a good thing Rainbow was nearby.” Will said.

“Hippocampi are one of the fastest swimmers. It would not take them long regardless of where Rainbow was.” Poseidon explained.

“But surely there is a range on their telepathy, even working together?” Annabeth asked.

“Yes but other sea creatures would broadcast the message until it reached the right person and it works a lot quicker than you would expect.” Percy told her. When she gave him a surprised expression he rolled his eyes. “Dad explained it to me so I could always send messages when I was under the sea.” Poseidon nodded. At least he had seen Percy enough to explain some basics too him. At some point he would take him to the palace and teach him everything he needed to know. Amphitrite probably wouldn't be too happy but oh well. Percy was his son and he should see his palace at least once.

**Rainbow, the largest...he was wrong.**

“Well you are totally not allowed back there.” Poseidon told his son.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of going back.” 

“Funnily enough, I don’t find that reassuring.” The Sea God told his son. Percy didn't often intend to end up in life threatening situations yet he ended up there all the same.

**We skimmed across...instantly fell asleep.**

“Not much else to do and she needs to rest.” Will nodded.

**I didn’t know how...we were going.**

“Miami.” Chiron stated. “Everything that comes out of the Sea of Monsters ends up in Miami.” 

“Including all the monsters.” Athena stated worriedly.

“If that’s common knowledge, and that Luke guy let them go so they could get the fleece for him to steal. Doesn’t that mean he’s likely to be waiting for them too?” Dakota asked. Percy and Annabeth grimaced. Nobody answered the question.

**I just propped up...I told Annabeth quietly.**

“That’s still cheating.” She stated.

“Nope.” Percy stuck his tongue out. 

“Go loopholes.” Travis cheered.

**Then I put my...I was asleep, too.**

“That’s the end of the chapter.” Poseidon said.

“That was quite a short one.” Percy said.

“There isn’t too much left.” Poseidon noted, looking at the rest of the book.

“Well, I think we should have an early dinner and finish the book tomorrow.” Chiron stated. “That’s a good place to leave it. The children aren’t in any danger currently.”

“Alright. Why so early?” Connor asked.

“I think it’ll do you good to give you some time to burn off some energy after dinner.” The Centaur replied. All the demigods cheered and raced out of the room.


	17. An evening off

Percy sat down to dinner with Annabeth, Thalia, Jason, Nico, Rachel, Grover and Will. The Gods were all off having a discussion, leaving Chiron to watch over the demigods, Satyr and mortal. He was busy thinking of who he should talk to. There was no way his dad was letting him out of it and so his dad was out of the question. He loved his dad but his dad would probably want a serious talk and Percy needed something a little more lighthearted. He did not have the energy for a deep discussion. Maybe Thalia? But then he overheard her making plans with Jason after dinner and he didn’t want to interrupt her bonding time with the brother she had just got back. 

“You ok?” Annabeth asked him. “You’re being quiet.” 

“Yeah.” He paused. “I just can’t believe we haven’t even finished the second book. There are three more after this, at least, that are almost definitely from my point of view. Knowing my luck the other four will be too.” She gave him a sympathetic look. 

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I can’t imagine how much it sucks.” 

“You do have a way of breaking the tension though.” Will put in. “Can you imagine reading Annabeth’s thoughts? The books would be about fifty times longer and soooo boring.” Annabeth reached over to whack his arm.

“He’s not wrong.” Thalia said, laughing at her friend. Percy grinned and shovelled another mouthful of food into his mouth. Eating made him feel better. 

“So, how did you meet Percy?” Jason asked Rachel curiously. It wasn’t often a mortal hung out with demigods, let alone often enough to be considered important enough to come to Olympus to read about demigod matters. 

“We first met at Hoover Dam.” She said with a smirk at Percy who went a little red. “We’ll probably read about it at some point. I think it was the winter after the book we are reading.”

“It was.” Thalia confirmed. 

“Then we met again at Goode.”

“Goode?” Jason asked.

“Goode high school.” 

“So both times you met were complete coincidence?” Nico wondered.

“Yep. And both times there were monsters.” Rachel nodded.

“Of course there were, Percy was there.” Annabeth laughed.

“Hey, I don’t normally get attacked until towards the end of school, not before it’s even officially begun.” Percy protested.

“I’m just glad I could see through the mist or I would have been even more confused than I was.” Rachel admitted. 

Towards the end of dinner, the Gods finally came in. Zeus and Hera were both missing but they were the only ones. Apollo, Poseidon and Athena all came over to their group. The first two sat down easily beside their own children while Athena hovered awkwardly by Annabeth. 

“What are you guys going to do with your evening off?” Poseidon asked.

“No idea.” Percy shrugged. “Chiron said something about burning off energy so I might see if I can find somewhere to go for a swim.”

“You can get to any point in the ocean from my quarters.” Poseidon smiled. 

“Awesome.” Percy grinned. “Then, how about some archery practise?” He suggested to Apollo. If he had to talk to anyone, he had come to the conclusion that the easy going Sun God was the least likely to overreact to the dark turn some of his thoughts took. His dad and Thalia would both definitely overreact and then probably not leave him alone for the rest of the reading. Annabeth was also out of the question and there was nobody else he was close enough to to discuss such personal things with. 

Come to think of it, Percy wasn’t sure how he had become close enough to Apollo to discuss such things with him. He didn’t know why the God had been there for the last ‘talk’ he had had with his dad and Thalia. Sure, Apollo had given him a medical check over but that really could have waited. Regardless, somehow he felt pretty comfortable with the easy going God and he seemed like the best choice.

“Sure.” Apollo beamed widely. 

“Hey, you fancy exploring some more of this place?” Will whispered to Nico. “We don’t get the opportunity much to be on Olympus.” Nico considered.

“As long as it’s just us.” He replied. He really didn’t fancy dealing with hordes of people for much longer. Will looked quite happy and easily agreed to his stipulation. “Maybe we could take Frank and Hazel?” He added, remembering how close those two had looked. It would be nice to get to know his other sister and be able to keep an eye on the two of them. 

“Sure.” Will agreed, though he was a bit disappointed.

Once Percy had finished eating, he left the dining hall with his father. They walked back to the God’s quarters. Inside, Poseidon opened a door Percy had never really noticed before. Behind the door was a swirling mass of waves. Not a single drop of water spilled into the room, kept back by some invisible force. It was very cool to look at. 

“Just imagine where you want to go, anywhere underwater, and step through the door. To come back again just call for me and I shall come and collect you.” Poseidon explained.

“You’re not coming?” Percy asked in surprise.

“I can if you want but I suspect you want some time to yourself.” His dad gave him a soft smile.

“Thanks, dad.” Percy smiled gratefully. He imagined the sea around a particular island he had found while exploring the sea one day. Then he stepped through the door and there was a moment of blackness and suddenly he was floating in the water about five feet under the surface. Percy was content to float there for a few minutes before he set off through the sea. He didn’t bother with the action of swimming, just willed the currents to push him along at great speed. As the water flashed by, he was joined by a pod of dolphins who swam around him, chattering easily and quickly. He let their chatter wash over him as well as the feel of the water and felt more at peace than he had, probably since sailing in the Sea of Monsters.

After a while he joined in the dolphin’s game of tag. It was fast and furious but also incredibly fun. He made a new friend in Dolf, who was the leader of this particular pod. Apparently it had been a while since a son of Poseidon paid them any attention. Percy did try to explain that there hadn’t been any demigod children for a while but the dolphin didn’t seem to care. Triton never had any time for them anymore and Cyclopes didn’t make great playmates, so he said. 

A couple of hours later, Percy was both exhausted and yet somehow refreshed. The energetic game with Dolf and his pod had tired him out but being in the sea kept him from pretty much falling asleep on the spot. Eventually, Dolf let him grip onto his fin and gently took him to the nearby island. Percy said goodbye to his new friend and promised to visit when he could. Then the pod turned and left to continue whatever journey they had been on. Before he got out of the sea, Percy telepathically called for his father. Then he let the waves carry him up to the gorgeous white sand beach. There he lay until a shadow fell over him.

“Been having fun?” His dad asked, sitting down on the beach beside him.

“Yeah. Played tag with some dolphins. Made a new friend. It was a busy couple of hours.” Percy grinned. Poseidon smiled. He studied his son and saw that many of the lines on his face were either lessened or gone. Still, a fifteen, almost sixteen, year old should not have so many frown lines. It was nice to see him so relaxed. His eyes were closed and his expression peaceful.

“Sounds fun.” He said. “Did you want to go back? You did call for me but you look rather comfortable.” 

“It is very comfortable here.” Percy agreed. “But I said I’d do some archery practise with Apollo.” Yes, the God really had taken a shine to his son, becoming quite protective of him. It was rare for the Sun God to take more than a fleeting interest in mortals, even demigods. Especially enough of an interest to offer to teach him archery. Although, he could have just been offended by exactly how bad his son seemed to be with a bow. Poseidon had wondered what that was about but frankly he was just glad to have at least one other God who was looking out for his son. Hermes had been on Percy’s side a lot but he was rather preoccupied with avoiding Zeus’ wrath for the actions of his future son. Poseidon didn’t really see how his brother could punish his son both for something he didn’t do, nor had even happened to them yet. Still, Poseidon had learnt to pick his battles with his brother and his nephew seemed to be handling himself fine for now. 

However it seemed that Percy was going to be taking Apollo up on his offering of being someone he could talk to. Poseidon figured Percy wouldn’t disobey his order from earlier but also didn’t seem inclined to talk to him about it. He felt a small stab of jealousy but stamped it down swiftly. This was about what made Percy feel better, not his own pride.

“Come on then. Let’s get you back.” Poseidon stood and offered his hand. Percy took it and he hauled him gently to his feet. Together they waded back into the sea. While they swum away from the island, he brushed his fingers against his son’s temple and washed some of the tiredness away temporarily. He did not want him falling asleep while trying to shoot but at the same time, didn’t want him being unable to sleep later. Thankfully, being unable to use their active powers only applied while they were on Olympus.

“Thanks dad.” Percy said as soon as he felt the effect. Poseidon smiled and then waved his hand. A door appeared, floating in the middle of the ocean. Percy gaped momentarily which made him chuckle and then they both stepped through, back to his quarters on Olympus. Poseidon walked with his son to the archery range, sending a telepathic message to Apollo to tell him they were on their way. The God was waiting for them when they arrived, a typical beaming smile in place. Poseidon wondered if he needed to warn Apollo about flirting with his son. He knew his nephew flirted with anything that had a pulse pretty much, it was just in his nature, but he was still tempted to say something. He decided against it for now, while Percy was present, he knew it would embarrass his son immensely. Especially as Percy seemed quite oblivious to such attentions, from what his friends said, and so had probably not even noticed anything. If it hadn’t been his son, it would have been quite amusing to watch Apollo flirt with someone who had no idea what was going on.

“Hey guys.” Apollo greeted. Poseidon nodded to his nephew and then took his leave. Percy was left, smiling awkwardly at Apollo.

“Hey.” 

“So, are you ready for some practise?” Percy grimaced. It may have seemed like the best option but that didn’t mean he had to be looking forward to it. Still, he nodded. Apollo’s grin widened. Percy went to stand in position. Then he noticed that some posters had been put on the targets. Each one held a different God. “Er, what’s this?” 

“I thought you could do some therapy.” Apollo smirked. “Not that I’m encouraging you to want to kill the Gods.” He added hurriedly. Percy laughed. “But I figured you could do with working out some frustrations. So, I want you to write down something about a God that has upset you, angered you or whatever on a slip of paper. Either something about them or just a specific event, literally anything. Then we’ll wrap it around the arrow shaft and shoot the God it’s meant for. Then we burn them before anybody but us sees them.” 

“That sounds...pretty cool actually.” Percy grinned.

“Good. I promise not to look at what you write. There you go.” He gestured to a table that had been set up off to the side. Percy went over and began writing. Once he began he found he couldn’t stop. He thought about the Gods who had voted to kill him for something he may or may not do. He wrote about Hermes sending him to a monster ship to get him to talk to his son. Percy hadn’t minded much at the time but the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. He, Tyson and Annabeth could have been killed. The entire ship was full of monsters. If it had just been Luke, Percy might have understood but a ship that big, full of monsters, and Hermes had sent the three of them there on a pointless mission. Percy also understood that Hermes hadn’t wanted to give up on Luke but if he hadn’t been able to talk him out of leaving camp the summer before, why had the God thought he could do better that time? If they had been killed there then Grover and Clarisse would likely have died and camp would have been overrun. After a while he was surrounded by small strips of paper.

“There.” He finally stood back up.

“Wow. Just a couple of issues then.” Apollo laughed. Inwardly he was cringing. He wondered how many of those were about him but didn’t want to ask. He was rather afraid of the answer. Still, with that many issues with the Gods, it really was incredible Percy hadn’t joined Luke. The demigod looked rather sheepish.

“Even I didn’t realise this many things bothered me. I just started writing and it all came out. Plus reading about my life is reminding me of stuff I had forgotten about or had gotten buried under other, even more annoying issues.” Percy explained. Apollo nodded.

“Well, this might take a lot of arrows so let’s get started.” They went back to the archery range. Apollo helped him to fasten the strips around the arrows and then Percy began. It soon became clear that most of his issues were with Zeus, Hera, Ares and Dionysus. Each of those had several dozen arrows each. Hermes had a couple, those Apollo was curious about, so did Poseidon. Those were not particularly a surprise but it made Apollo even more curious. If he did this exercise with Will, how many arrows would he have and how many would be aimed at Apollo himself? As it turned out, Percy didn’t shoot a single arrow at himself. He, Hestia and Demeter were the only ones without a single arrow. Apollo couldn’t help but hope it was more because he had never done anything to upset or annoy Percy than because Percy had never met him or something like that. 

He noted that at some point throughout the exercise that Percy stopped needing his help to aim. He still wasn’t hitting a bullseye often, or ever actually, but he was still hitting the targets almost every time on his own.

“That was some nice shooting.” He said once Percy had finally finished. Apollo noticed the demigod’s eyes widen as he took in how many times he had hit the target without help. Clearly he hadn’t actually been paying much attention, probably lost in his anger. Apollo had noted his knuckles turning white around the bow quite a few times.

“Yeah. Thanks. It seems I shoot better when I’m not thinking.” 

“That’s quite common, especially in people who believe they aren’t very good. They get lost in overthinking everything instead of going by instinct.” Apollo smiled gently. “You feel better?” Percy frowned as he considered.

“Yeah. I do actually.” He sounded surprised by that fact.

“Good. You should probably get some sleep soon.”

“Don’t we need to clear up?” Percy asked.

“I’ve got it. Unless you want to make it into a bonfire and toast some smores.” Apollo suggested suddenly, recalling that this was something they did at camp. Percy’s eyes lit up. Clearly that was a good suggestion. 

Together they gathered up all the bits of paper and piled them up in an amphitheatre type area by the edge of Olympus. Apollo also found some wood and other things to put on the bonfire because the paper really wasn’t enough to be particularly impressive. Percy had gone back to the dining hall to find some marshmallows and other bits to toast. By the time he got back the bonfire was already blazing. They sat together, talking and laughing and eating. Their conversation sometimes strayed onto his thoughts in the book and how he felt now but Apollo kept the conversation light at all times. Percy didn’t feel awkward sharing how he no longer quite wished to die but his desire to live was purely selfless. He didn’t want someone else to have to take the prophecy. If he let himself die, how many others would die because he could have saved them? And he admitted that he was kind of sick of living solely for other people. He wanted something to live for again but he didn’t expect it anytime soon. In fact, if the next set of books and the note were anything to go by he was going to get stuck on another great prophecy again. He was sick of being responsible for saving the world. Apollo had given him a look of sympathy and then smoothly changed the topic.

Percy made sure to watch the bonfire until there was definitely no evidence of his ‘therapy’ session. Soon though, whatever his dad had done earlier began to fade and a wave of tiredness hit him. He yawned widely. 

Apollo watched as the young demigod fell asleep next to him. It was quite late so he wasn’t surprised. Thankfully he looked rather a lot more peaceful than he had earlier. Some of his admissions had the God looking at him in awe. He could not believe that anyone could be that selfless. Apollo brushed a lock of hair out of Percy’s eyes. There was no mortal even half as interesting as Percy Jackson. He sent a message to Poseidon to come and pick up his son. The sea God appeared a few minutes later.

“How is he?” 

“Sleeping currently.” Apollo gestured to the demigod next to him. “But he seemed more relaxed and he told me he felt better. He wasn’t lying either.”

“Good.” Poseidon nodded. There was an awkward pause. “Thank you for helping him.”

“He’s a good kid.” Apollo shrugged. The sea God nodded once more. He was shifting as if he wanted to say something. Apollo waited.

“Yeah. Yeah he is. Anyway, I’d better get him into a proper bed or he won’t be happy tomorrow.” Poseidon said. It wasn’t what Apollo had been expecting him to say but he wasn’t going to complain either. Poseidon picked Percy up gently and slowly headed off. 

*******************************************

Meanwhile, Jason had made plans to talk with Thalia later, just the two of them. He was really looking forward to learning about his sister. In the meantime he was walking through the Olympus gardens, hand in hand with Piper. 

“This has to have been the craziest week ever.” He commented. He could not believe it had been maybe a week since he had woken up on the bus. They had only been home from their quest for a day or so before they had been brought here. And being here was no less crazy although it was thankfully less deadly.

“Definitely.” Piper agreed. “Are any more of your memories coming back?”

“Some. I still don’t remember everything but more than I did.”

“That’s good.” Though Piper wasn’t sure if it was good or not. Jason and Reyna seemed to have been very close. He smiled at her and she tried to push her worries to the back of her mind once again. She focused on enjoying their stroll. Annoyingly something must have shown on her face as he stopped walking and turned to face her.

“You alright, Pipes?” He asked. She sighed, stopping beside him. This was not a conversation she wanted to have, especially not now.

“Yeah. I’m just a little worried about Reyna.”

“Reyna? Why?” Jason seemed genuinely startled. 

“Because she clearly has feelings for you. And I’m worried that when your memories come back you’ll remember you felt the same way. But also, if you don’t then I feel bad for her.” Piper admitted after a few minutes of silence. After all, she knew it sucked to like a guy who suddenly had no idea who you were. And she had thought she had known Jason for a very short time compared to Reyna. Unrequited love sucked but so did finding out your boyfriend forgot about you and then had found a new girlfriend. Piper wouldn’t wish either option on anyone so she still felt bad even though she hoped Jason had never liked Reyna. Jason considered this.

“I don’t think I had feelings for her. Not romantic ones anyway.” He said slowly. “I don’t have all my memories but I still had my instincts and gut feelings. I think that after spending this much time with her reading, I would have recalled at least some feelings. Whereas I only feel friendly towards her.” Piper let out a sigh of relief. She nodded. Jason squeezed her hand gently. They continued their walk through the gardens though this was much nicer. The tension that had hung over them seemed to have dissipated leaving behind the excitement and nervousness of a relatively new relationship. Piper hadn’t realised how much her worries were weighing on her until they had been laid to rest. 

The only thing left to bother her was the fact that her memories of the start of their relationship were very different from Jason’s, thanks to Hera. She did not appreciate the fact that the Goddess had given her fake memories that made her like a fake Jason so that she would like the real one. She very much doubted the Queen of the Gods actually cared about her or Jason’s love lives so must have had an ulterior motive. Most likely it was to make sure that Jason had at least one ally at Camp Half-Blood but after what Hera had done to all of them, including Leo, Piper was not much inclined to aid the Goddess’ plans. She wondered if she had already fulfilled that plan by going on the quest with Jason or if there was still more in store for them.

Piper wondered if the Gods could take away the fake memories that had been implanted. If she could have the chance to form a relationship with Jason without them. Although she wasn’t sure if it was even possible given how much they had been through together even in these short few days. Still, she knew she had to either try asking the Gods to take those memories away or work through her doubts because if she did neither their relationship wouldn’t work out anyway.

Still, for now, she was on a romantic walk through the gardens. They talked about Piper’s childhood and some of the memories that Jason did have. It was nice, actually talking about themselves rather than how they were going to live through the next few days. They discussed some parts of the books they had read. Both of them agreed that the stories they had heard at camp certainly seemed justified. 

A little while later Jason gave his apologies but he had to go and meet his sister. Piper nodded. If she had discovered a long lost sibling, she would want to spend plenty of time with them. He gave her a grateful smile and kiss on the cheek before hurrying towards the dining hall once more. Piper continued walking alone until she came upon Annabeth who was sitting on a marble bench sketching something.

“Hey. You mind if I sit?” Piper asked. Annabeth took a few moments to reply. Finally she looked up and started as if she hadn’t heard Piper’s approach or her question. 

“Sure.” She smiled. “So, I guess you know me in the future then?” Annabeth asked, setting aside her sketches.

“Yeah. You came to pick up me, Jason and Leo from the Grand Canyon.” 

“How do you like Camp?”

“Well, I’ve not actually spent much time there but it seems lovely.” Piper admitted.  _ Except Drew _ , she added in her mind. She couldn’t tell Annabeth about Drew being cabin leader without admitting that Silena had died at some point and she expected they weren’t supposed to tell people about the future until they possibly read about it. They talked a bit longer about Camp and Piper then steered the conversation to comparing some childhood memories so she wouldn’t reveal too much. She found Annabeth to be quite funny and obviously intelligent. It did make a change from the people she had spent most of her life around. Even Leo, who she was very fond of, wasn’t one for conversation beyond making terrible jokes.

Eventually they were both yawning and so decided to head to bed. Piper was still reluctantly staying with her mom and Silena. It was horribly awkward for her to stay with the mom she sort of resented and barely even knew and a half sister she knew to be dead. Plus the rooms were full of clothes her mom thought would suit her and yet still really weren’t what she was comfortable in. Obviously they were very stylish and did compliment her very well but they weren’t her snowboarding jacket and jeans that she loved. Sadly, whoever had brought them here had not included any luggage so she didn’t have an awful lot of choice. Still she didn’t really have a valid reason not to. 

****************************************************

Clarisse spent the evening with Chris, the Stolls and Hermes. It was certainly lively, not to mention strange spending time with the Stolls without trying to kill them. Naturally there was a lot of talk about pranks, thankfully their last one had now worn off. She was mostly quiet, letting the excited chatter go on around her. Clarisse was quite happy to just lean her head on Chris’ shoulder. His arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist. Chris was less lively than his siblings but still she could feel his excitement at getting to spend some time with his dad. Whatever they had talked about earlier had definitely lifted some of his anger and bitterness. The new happiness that he radiated suited him. 

Still, she was reeling from the demigods all learning that she was scared of her father and how he acted towards her. It had been quite a surprise for her to see the other campers defending her against her dad. She had sort of expected them to be on her side but she had honestly expected some teasing after the event but there had been none. Not about that anyway. Over dinner there had been plenty of comments about her giving Grover away and then shouting at Polyphemus so he could sink the ship. 

After a while, she grew bored of the general chatter and stood up.

“I’m going to find somewhere to get some practise in.” She said to Chris. He nodded.

“Do you want some company?” He offered.

“No. You stay with these clowns.” The Stolls both protested at being called clowns but they grinned at her and waved as she left. She wandered around for a while before finally coming upon a training area. Some dummies were already set up and there were some weapons in a rack nearby. She selected a nice looking spear and began practising. It felt good to have a weapon in her hand again. Normally, she never went longer a day without doing some form of training. 

Clarisse kept working for hours. Sweat trickled down her face and the back of her neck but she kept going. She let her frustration, that had been building during the last few chapters of reading, rise to the surface. Suddenly everything was a blur and the next thing she knew the dummies had been decimated. She stopped and let out a deep breath.

“Those were some good moves.” A voice sounded from behind her. Clarisse whirled around, spear raised. Something moved in the growing shadows and her father emerged. She swallowed hard.

“Thanks.” She said. “I mean, thank you, father.” She recalled her manners quickly. He waved this away.

“I don’t think…” He trailed off. Then frowned and spoke again. “No need for such formality.” Clarisse watched him warily. Her father had always insisted on nothing less than perfect deference before now. Although she supposed the God in front of her wasn’t technically her father yet. What could have changed his attitude so drastically in under twenty years though she wasn’t sure.

“How long were you watching?” She asked. It was the only thing that came to her mind and the silence was getting oppressive. 

“Not too long. Enough to see you fight well but your left hand always twitches before you attack.” He noted. She nodded. 

“I’ve been trying to work on that.” She admitted.

“Try holding that hand behind your back or fighting with a shield.” He suggested. Then there was another silence. Clarisse looked around for some way to escape. 

Ares studied his daughter carefully. He could see that she was feeling as awkward as he was. Feelings and the like were not something he enjoyed dwelling on. Still, there were some things he needed to know. He might not have many daughters but he did love them. Nor could he imagine raising a hand to any of them. 

“Was that...the way I behaved…” He sighed. “Was that normal?” Clarisse looked at him briefly and then back to her weapon but it was enough for him to spot the uncertainty. 

“I mean we don’t exactly see you often but…” She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. That was answer enough. He frowned. He had assumed, or hoped, that his behaviour was simply because of his rage at the son of Poseidon and the thought of him taking Clarisse’s glory for the quest. It now seemed that that was not the case. Or, at least not the whole story. “You have very high standards and we don’t always meet them.” His frown deepened.

“That isn’t an excuse for threatening you like that.” He spat, anger at himself flowing through him. He quickly moved to stamp it down when he caught her flinch. It was well covered he had to admit but he had been watching her very closely. “I...I apologise.” She stared at him in astonishment and he gritted his teeth, hoping she wouldn’t make a big deal out of it.

“Thanks.” She nodded and he let out a sigh of relief. 

“Would you like some help practising?” He offered. At least sparring was something they understood. Ares was grateful when she nodded eagerly. He moved forwards, pulling his sword out and they began some gentle sparring.

************************************************

Frank sat with Hazel at one table. Other people were leaving in small groups but they didn’t really know where to go. They only had been to the throne room, the dining hall and the guest room where they were sleeping. To be honest they were a bit scared to wander around the home of the Gods. Frank had absolutely no desire to spend any time with his father or his half sister. Both of them were quite scary. Plus his dad seemed like a complete jerk. 

Hazel appreciated having Frank around. She knew the other Romans were uncomfortable around her, even if they had gotten pretty good at hiding it. It had been a bit better since coming here. They had all banded together, wary of the Gods and of the Greeks that they had long considered enemies. Having spent a little time with them the more it seemed like the Greek demigods weren’t enemies. They were actually quite like them. In the last couple of days the two groups had not quite blended but become less distrusting. More of the Romans were speaking up and more often. She actually found it quite nice, None of the Greeks seemed bothered by the fact that she was a daughter of Pluto. It was slightly strange seeing Nico as one of them though. And the fact that this version of Nico didn’t know her. 

As if he had been able to sense her thinking about him, Nico came over with the son of Apollo. Will she thought his name was. 

“Hey you two, want to go for a walk around Olympus?” Nico asked. Hazel exchanged a look with Frank.

“Are you sure we’re allowed to wander around?” Frank asked nervously. The other two both smiled.

“Yep.” Nico nodded. 

“Just don’t break anything.” Will smirked. Hazel saw Frank swallow nervously. He was quite clumsy. They stood up and followed the other two who seemed to know where they were going. Conversation was a bit stilted but Will was cheerful enough for all of them. He easily drew Frank into a discussion on archery which she knew thrilled Frank. Most of the Romans mocked him for his choice of weapon. Hazel used the opportunity to talk to Nico, a little way behind the other two. It was a bit awkward but eventually she managed to tell him the basics of her backstory, well how he found her and took her to Camp Jupiter. She skipped the part about how she died. In return he told her about staying in the Lotus Casino and then being fetched by a Fury and put in some military school with his other sister, Bianca. 

It was nice, being able to speak to someone who was also not from this time. While Nico remembered nothing of his childhood before the Casino, he still knew what it was like to have trouble adjusting. He helped to explain a few things that had been puzzling her. There were a lot of phrases during the reading which she had never heard of but she hadn’t wanted to interrupt to ask what they meant. 

It was a lovely walk and Will showed them plenty of incredible sites around Olympus. Apparently Nico had never been to Olympus either so Will was the one acting as a tour guide. He showed them the amphitheater where the Muses sometimes did concerts and some of the gardens. They spotted Reyna from a distance. She seemed to be busy in conversation with Dakota. Silena and Gwen were also in the gardens with their mother. The Gods and Goddesses still made Hazel very nervous. Thankfully the others were also quite happy to avoid the love Goddess and her children. 

Once they left the gardens, the four of them made their way to the market area and had fun looking around. While there, they came across Leo and Beckendorf who were eyeing up some parts for a machine they had decided to try building together. Hazel did yet another double take as she saw Leo once more. She really wanted to know how he looked so much like Sammy so many years after Sammy had to have died.

“Do you know that guy?” Frank whispered to her. “You keep staring at him.”

“Oh, no. At least, I don’t think so.” She replied. Hazel saw him frown and blushed a little. She had had a suspicion that Frank liked her and a few days ago she would have simply thought he was kind of cute but nothing more. Now, she really liked how sweet he was and that he didn’t seem to care about who her dad was. “I knew a guy who looked just like him.” 

“Hi guys. Can I help you?” Leo had obviously also noticed her staring. Now he was standing in front of her awkwardly, hands shoved deep into his pockets the same way Sammy used to when he was nervous. 

“I’m Hazel.” She introduced herself as they hadn’t really spoken at all. 

“Leo.”

“I...you just look like someone I knew.” Leo raised an eyebrow.

“So you run into good looking guys all the time do you?” He asked in a light voice that made her suspect he was teasing. Still she blushed a little. Frank’s frown deepened. She didn’t really want to get into her history but figured she needed to let them both know that Sammy was from a long time ago. 

“This was from before…” She hesitated. “Before I died, back in the forties.”

“Like, the nineteen forties?” Leo asked in confusion. 

“Yes. I died and then Nico brought my spirit back while looking for his other sister.” Now Nico went red. He and Will quickly moved away from the conversation. Beckendorf also made himself scarce, figuring that this discussion was going to be quite private.

“I went to school with this guy, Sammy Valdez, and he…” 

“Sammy Valdez?” Leo interrupted. A frown had replaced the smirk on his face. “My 

Bisabuelo was called Sammy.” 

“Bisabuelo?” Hazel asked.

“Great grandfather.” Leo translated. “He died when I was a baby but my mom told me about him.” His voice cracked a little on the word ‘mom’.

“So Hazel’s old best friend could be your great grandfather?” Frank asked, looking unsure whether to be completely confused or kind of grossed out. Hazel considered. The timing fitted but she had thought that Sammy had died in the sixties. At least that was what Gaea had told her. But it couldn’t be a coincidence that Leo was the spitting image of Sammy and had the same last name. 

“I think so.” Hazel said slowly.

“That’s...weird.” Leo muttered.

“Yeah.” Hazel agreed. “Do you know...was he happy?” Leo shrugged.

“I can’t say I knew him. From what my mom told me he lived a pretty good life. He is the one who started our family machine shop.” He told her. Hazel smiled. She wondered briefly why Sammy hadn’t been cursed by the diamond but she was too relieved to care. Maybe she had been cursed enough for both of them. “So I take it that’s why you were staring at me? Other than the fact I’m insanely hot.” He grinned. A familiar grin that made Hazel roll her eyes.

“Yes. I was staring because you could be Sammy’s twin. Not because you’re hot.” He pouted.

“Ah well, I’d better get back. Beckendorf has a wicked idea for this motorized table for Chiron.” 

“Sure.” She said. Her heart felt lighter than it had in forever knowing now that Sammy had led a good life. Frank was still looking unhappy but the frown lifted slightly once Leo had walked away. 

Nervously she took Frank’s hand and they headed down the marketplace to catch up with Will and Nico. Any traces of his previous frown were wiped away by a huge, dopey looking grin that Hazel couldn’t help but find endearing. When they finally caught up with the other two she could tell they both wanted to ask questions but she was grateful they refrained. It was something she was still wrapping her head around, she didn’t want to explain it to anyone else at the moment. They spent the rest of an enjoyable evening talking and laughing until it was time to head to bed.

The next morning everyone made their way to the dining hall for breakfast. Other than Chiron and Hestia, the Hermes group, including Clarisse, were the first to arrive although Clarisse was considerably grumpier than the rest. She had been up quite late practising with Ares and was not a morning person at the best of times. They all sat down and began digging in.

“I trust you burnt off sufficient energy last night?” Chiron asked. They all nodded. Once Hermes and his kids had finished their chat and prank planning, they had started a crazy game of tag which had lasted well into the night.

Soon other people began traipsing in and the hall was filled with noise. Chiron noticed some groups sitting together that had certainly never seemed to interact before. It seemed that it had been a good decision to give the children the evening off. They had clearly put it to good use, making new friends, or at the very least easing the remaining tension. It eased his worries about the Greeks and the Romans being put together. There had been a lot of wariness between the groups but no inherent hatred and now there was just the general awkwardness of not knowing them very well. It seemed that it may finally be the right time to reintroduce the groups. He certainly wanted to know how they had met in the first place. Hopefully the books would give them more information on the topic. 

That thought reminded him how much he was learning from the books they had read so far. He had known that Percy and Annabeth had left a few things out, that was only to be expected, but the sheer amount of times he could have lost them both was astounding. And concerning. Percy’s whole attitude towards his own life was also concerning. He had spoken to Poseidon the night before and been assured that Percy was getting help on the matter. Chiron still felt ashamed that he hadn’t noticed. He had always kept a little more distance between himself and Percy than with many other campers but it still distressed him that he had failed to notice so many things about his young charge. 

The distance with Percy was due to many things. Partly because he only came to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. Therefore there was much less time to get to know Percy and to train him properly. Chiron had hoped that he would stay at Camp year round, at least for one year before he turned sixteen to get some real training in but it had never happened. Also, even when Thalia returned, he had had a nagging feeling that Percy was the child of the prophecy. While he had every faith that Percy would save Olympus, even without that note, he had suspected that the event would claim Percy’s life. He had trained many,  _ many _ students in his time and the pain never lessened when they died. So when the boy came who was likely to die before or on his sixteenth birthday, Chiron did not allow himself to become too attached. While he may disagree with the Gods on many things, he did know that sometimes distance was the only way to retain your sanity. Obviously he could not keep the same distance that the Gods did, he still had to train the demigods after all, he did what he could. 

Still, the note at the beginning and this entire endeavour was showing him that maybe there was some hope. Percy could save the world and live. His thoughts were broken by the very young man he had been thinking about bursting into the room, laughing his head off. It was an unusual sound. The thought disturbed him. It should not be rare for a fifteen year old to laugh. A few seconds later Thalia came running in, soaking wet. It didn’t take a genius to guess what had happened.

“Jackson! I’m going to kill you.” 

“Na. You’d miss me too much.” Percy replied while darting over towards Annabeth who was sitting not far from Chiron. “Save me.” He hissed.

“You’re on your own seaweed brain. What did you do to upset Thalia?”

“I might have woken her up. With a bath.” He admitted with a smirk.

“She has every right to kill you.” Piper stated having overheard his comment. Percy pouted at her. He ducked down as Thalia looked over in their direction. Both Annabeth and Piper pointed down to where Percy was hiding. 

“Traitors.” He sighed before getting up and running off again. Chiron shook his head in amusement before moving to stop the two before they destroyed the dining hall. He was well acquainted with what happened when those two fought.

“You and me, fighting pit later.” Thalia glared at Percy.

“I didn’t realise you were so desperate to lose.” He retorted. “But I accept. Next break we will have a spar.” She nodded and then finally consented to sit down to eat breakfast without killing Percy. Chiron rolled his eyes.

Eventually everyone was calm and had finished eating. Chiron and Hestia ushered everyone back to the throne room and people took their seats once more. Hermes sat with Chris on one side, cuddling Clarisse. Travis was on his other with Connor next to his brother. Will had dragged Nico over to sit with him. Frank and Hazel had also been dragged to their couch which magically expanded so Hazel sat next to Nico with Frank on the end. With that couch full, Apollo had taken up Nico’s space next to Percy with Grover on his other side between the sun God and Rachel. Percy sat between Apollo and his dad which he found rather strange and a little awkward. Although he was having trouble looking at most of the Gods after his shooting activities the night before. Hades now sat next to Poseidon as there was no room next to his son. Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Athena, Ares and Hestia all sat on one couch. Reyna, Dakota, Annabeth, Thalia, Jason, Piper and Gwen were all seated together. Leo and Beckendorf were both at their workbenches as before. Silena sat with her mother.

“I think it’s my turn to read.” Thalia said. She got up and grabbed the book before returning to her place between Annabeth and Jason. Finding the right page, she began.


	18. We Get a Surprise on Miami Beach

“Somehow I’m going to guess it’s not a good surprise.” Nico sighed.

“There was one good thing there. A very important thing.” Percy said, recalling that Tyson had found his bag with enough money to allow Clarisse to fly home. It was also where he had met and freed Blackjack, though that wasn’t actually the surprising part, it was a good memory. “But yes, mostly it was bad.” He added.

“Of course.” Jason groaned. He just wanted to get to the part where his sister was alive and not a tree anymore.

“I swear Murphy’s law should actually be called Percy’s law.” Rachel muttered.

**“Percy, wake up.”... cruise ships.**

“That makes it sound really nice.” Grover said. “But when you’re actually in the water it’s a whole other story.” 

**“Miami, I think.”...they were thinking.**

“It’s too polluted.” Poseidon sighed. He really needed to do something about that but there was only so much he  _ could _ do. 

**“This is as far as...they didn’t let on.**

“It’s Miami.” Piper shrugged. 

“Mortals never pay much attention.” Dakota shrugged. Rachel glared at him.

“Except when I’m being attacked. Then they pay plenty of attention and blame me for everything.” Percy complained.

“Maybe you upset Hecate or something.” Thalia suggested.

“I don’t think so.” Percy frowned. “Certainly not at this point.” These days she might, simply because she had sided with Kronos but back then he wasn’t sure if she had picked sides yet. 

**Now that we were...his cap and sneakers.**

“I’m impressed you even had those. How did they not get lost when the ship sank?” Connor asked.

“I have no idea.” Grover shrugged. “I’m just glad they didn’t.”

**Even the Fleece...Omega on the pocket.**

“That was a nice jacket.” Clarisse muttered. 

“Of course it was. The fleece wouldn’t transform into something ugly.” Aphrodite said.

“The Nemean Lion skin wasn’t that nice.” Percy muttered to himself. 

**Annabeth ran to...from camp ten days!”**

“What? You were only gone like a couple of days.” Piper frowned.

“For us I think it was roughly three days.” Annabeth said.

“Time moves differently in monstrous places. Like the Lotus Casino. That moves faster than almost anywhere else but it’s the same thing.” Hades stated.

“But what about the camp? Luke said it would only take a month before it was completely overrun.” Reyna recalled.

“The boundary was almost gone by the time the fleece got there.” Clarisse said, careful to word her answer so it didn’t give anything away.

**“That’s impossible!” Clarisse said...If you hadn’t interfered—”**

“What?” The entire room burst out.

“If Percy hadn’t interfered you’d be married to Polyphemus or possibly eaten. Not to mention you would have definitely gotten Grover killed.” Will pointed out angrily. Ares scowled. He didn’t like how much Jackson had ended up doing on this quest but if his other kids had been brave enough to go along then Jackson might not have been needed.

**“Percy’s fault?!”...made me look bad?**

Clarisse gave Percy a slight smile. She was glad he had been able to see it from her point of view. She had always wondered why he had let go on alone and take all the glory. It was hard to believe someone would give up the opportunity for glory especially as she could deny that the others had been essential on her quest, not just for flying home.

“She made herself look bad and you saved her backside.” Connor stated. Now she glared at Connor.

“Plus, Percy, you wouldn’t care who butted in on your quest as long as it got accomplished.” Annabeth told him. 

**I thought about...made him look bad…**

Now she groaned and glared at Percy. She did not need his stupid pity. Everyone glared at Ares once more but he simply shrugged. He had sorted things out with his daughter and it was nobody else's business.

It was true he didn’t care for other heroes but his children still lived at that Camp. He would want it saved but he would be furious if his child was made to look weak in front of the other campers and the Gods, especially by Jackson who had already humiliated him. He just hoped that he would be angry with Jackson and not Clarisse. If he had been watching the quest he would know his daughter had done what she could.

“Guys, leave off. It’s sorted.” Clarisse told the campers who were still glaring at Ares. She would not tell them he had apologised, that would ruin his reputation, but neither did she want them to glare at him every time he was mentioned or when he spoke. They looked between Clarisse and Ares and then nodded. 

**“Clarisse,” I said...warriors of bone,**

“Well that’s obvious.” Athena stated.

**You shall...it your own,**

“They have the fleece.” Chris nodded.

**But despair for...within stone,**

“Maybe something we didn’t see?” Dakota frowned,

“Or it means Polyphemus’ cave. When he trapped them in there.” Gwen suggested. He nodded.

**And fail without...fly home alone.”**

“What does that mean?” Ares yelled angrily.

“That without help she will fail.” Apollo told him coolly. “At a guess I would say she has to make the journey home alone the way she started the journey.”

“Why would she go alone?” Ares asked.

“Well obviously they need to get back very quickly. The best way to do that is to fly. There is no way father will allow Percy to fly this time and I doubt his friends will leave Percy.” Apollo said.

**“Ouch,” Grover mumbled...I’ve got it.”**

“Really?” Apollo raised an eyebrow. It was rare to be able to interpret the prophecy before it came about. Although he supposed it was happening right then so maybe that was enough.

**I searched my pockets...in our supplies.**

“Tyson to the rescue again.” 

**“Tyson!” I said...three hundred dollars.**

“That will be enough to get to New York.” Piper nodded.

“I can’t believe Tyson was feeding Rainbow money.” Leo winced. Poseidon frowned. That would not do the Hippocampi much good. He would have to teach Tyson what was appropriate food for sea creatures. 

**I ran to the curb...it in Clarisse’s arms.**

“It was probably a tie.” Grover said. “But I did think you had completely lost your mind.”

“Me too.” Annabeth admitted. Ares was watching Percy in confusion. Why would he give up glory? Even if he couldn’t fly, it still made no sense to the War God.

**Clarisse said...trick I was playing,**

“It’s not really the time for tricks.” Travis pointed out.

“Nobody gives up the chance for glory.” Clarisse defended.

“Except those who care more about saving their friends than glory.” Beckendorf pointed out.

“Guys, even Annabeth and Grover were surprised.” Percy stated. “And given the bad relationship we had then I’m not surprised she was suspicious.”

**then finally deciding...would be good.”**

“Very good.” Chris added. “But you didn’t fail. You got home and saved camp.” He grinned at her.

**The cab peeled out...was on its way.**

“So now you guys need to find a way home.” Piper said.

“A journey from Miami to New York. What could possibly go wrong?” Jason deadpanned.

“A lot.” Grover muttered.

**“Percy,” Annabeth said...back by tonight?”**

“What’s wrong with that?” Clarisse glared.

“Given that she can fly and Percy can’t, she had the best chance of getting there in one day.” Chris pointed out, frowning at Annabeth.

**“It’s her quest,” I said.**

“Exactly.” Ares growled.

**“She deserves...Annabeth grumbled,**

“How were you planning on getting back to New York in time?” Silena asked. “Driving or getting a train would take too long.”

“Maybe she was hoping Percy would let her fly back with it instead of Clarisse.” Chris muttered. Annabeth went a little red. She would never admit out loud that that was exactly what she had been hoping for. Obviously had she done it, she would have mentioned Percy’s part, which was more than she had expected of Clarisse. But she knew that her wanting to go had been her fatal flaw talking. Percy had made the correct choice.

“But it was Clarisse’s quest. She is the one who should have done it.” Silena frowned. Chris nodded.

**but I couldn’t help...easy to do.**

“No. It’s not. I’d seen a lot of things and I knew you pretty well. It’s hard to surprise people who know you well.” Annabeth told him.

“But I do still surprise you right?” He asked.

“Sometimes.” She admitted. More often than she would like actually.

**“Come on,” I told...point at my throat.**

“Woah!” Rachel whistled as everybody tensed up, the previous happy mood evaporating in an instant.

**“Hey, cuz,” said Luke. “Welcome back to the States.”**

Hermes winced.

**His bear-man thugs...roared at Luke.**

“You get the Tyson.” Beckendorf cheered.

“Yeah but Luke has his sword at Percy’s throat and the other bear dude has Annabeth and Grover. Tyson can’t beat them all without someone getting hurt.” Jason pointed out.

**“Percy,” Luke said...kicking and screaming.**

Annabeth frowned. It was still strange being threatened by Luke. She didn’t doubt he would have gone through with this threat.

“It’s a shame he knew where you were going to turn up.” Gwen sighed.

“We should have just taken the Hippocampi to New York.” Percy muttered.

“Something would have gone wrong.” Thalia said confidently.

**“What do you want, Luke?” I growled.**

“The fleece I should suspect.” Rachel said.

**He smiled, the scar rippling on the side of his face.**

Hermes frowned. 

**He gestured toward...of course.”**

“How long had he been waiting there?” Hermes wondered.

“Probably a few days. I suspect they were heading towards Miami when they first boarded the ship. Given the time distortion and the fact they had been gone for ten days, Kronos’ forces would easily have beaten them there.” Athena said.

“So it’s definitely a good thing Percy sent Clarisse on ahead.” Chris smiled. 

**The bear twins herded us aboard the Princess Andromeda.**

“That’s also good. The longer he delays, the longer Clarisse has to get a head start.” Reyna nodded.

**They threw us...get some “hospitality.”**

“They must have been planning an invasion of Camp the second they got the fleece.” Frank said. All of the Gods began wondering if any of those demigods watching were their children.

“Probably.” Reyna nodded.

**“And so, the Fleece,”...poking Grover’s jeans.**

“You really can’t tell they don’t have it on them?” Connor scoffed. “Even when it was a jacket, the description made it sound like it was definitely magical.”

**“Hey!” Grover yelled...the—Fleece?”**

“They heard you.” Clarisse smirked.

“We just didn’t care to answer.” Percy grinned.

**“Not here,” I said...You messed up.”**

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone would have expected you to give it to someone else and send them on alone.” Jason said. “Especially Clarisse.”

“Being unpredictable is a good thing in this case.” Poseidon smirked proudly.

“You really shouldn’t have told him anything.” Athena frowned. “He has enough monsters he could send to intercept Clarisse.”

“I can handle myself.” Clarisse scowled.

**Luke’s eyes narrowed...you gave…”**

“You bet I did.” Percy smirked happily.

**“Yeah.”...fly to the Miami Airport, fast.“**

“Poor Blackjack. I’m so glad I freed him.” Percy frowned.

“That’s where you met Blackjack?” Thalia asked. He nodded. 

“No wonder he likes you so much he must be very grateful to you.” Silena said.

**“But, boss—”...so unhinged before.**

Hermes frowned at the description of his son.

**I started thinking...I had an idea.**

“That was one amazing plan.” Annabeth complimented.

“I made it up on the spot, of course it was awesome.” Percy laughed.

“It was certainly more entertaining than anything else we’d seen for ten days.” Travis snickered. 

“Mr D’s face was brilliant.” Connor agreed.

**“You’ve been toying...accepted in silence.**

“It will. As long as the prayer is respectful, it will be accepted.” Hermes smiled.

“Good to know.” Beckendorf said.

**I thought with...CAMP HALF-BLOOD!”**

“As long as none of them actually see the message.” Gwen said. She still wished that the Romans had something like that. It would be so useful. Reyna was thinking the same thing.

“That is a very good plan.” Athena commented grudgingly. Chiron smiled at Percy. It was this that had got his pardon. 

**Behind Luke, the...Thalia’s tree, Luke?”**

“Careful, you don’t want him getting suspicious.” Thalia frowned.

“I needed to be blunt otherwise he might not actually confess.” Percy pointed out. She nodded.

**“I did, of course,”...have the guts.”**

“That’s not guts you jerk.” Jason yelled. 

“Chiron is not a fool.” The Greeks all said in unison, glaring at the book. Then Centaur smiled at them all.

**“You call it guts?...us down a little.”**

“Better to have slowed him down than let you speed up his recovery.” Piper said.

“It gives them longer to work out a way to stop you.” Dakota agreed.

**“And so you poisoned...watching us.**

It was a good job we were so stunned.” Connor muttered.

“Yeah, much longer and somebody would likely have said something.” Travis agreed. 

“Well, I’m very glad you didn’t.” Percy told them. 

**“Well,” said Dionysus dryly...with both hands.**

“Somebody kill him.” Reyna scowled.

“He’s already dead.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Well send him back to Punishment then.” Frank suggested.

**“I fear not,” Mr. D said...horse’s pinochle games.”**

“You didn’t need to sound quite so disappointed.” Percy glared at Dionysus. The Wine God shrugged. Tantalus might be distasteful but it must have been amusing to watch him suffer.

**Tantalus grabbed the...exploded into cheering.**

Everyone in the room cheered too. 

“About time too.” Apollo noted.

**Luke bellowed...to be replaced.”**

“Percy isn’t unreliable.” Annabeth stated. “He’s just not your weapon.”

“I’m not any weapon.” Percy protested.

**I wasn’t sure what...this boat alive.”**

“Ok, how the heck did you get out of this mess?” Jason asked in astonishment.

“We had help.” Percy sent Chiron a grateful smile.

“Some very interesting help.” Grover added. The Party Ponies certainly knew how to make an entrance. 

“Chapter is done.” Thalia announced.

“That makes it my turn.” Grover said. He got up and took the book from Thalia.


	19. The Party Ponies Invade

“Oh, that must have been so awesome.” Connor said enviously.

“It was...different.” Annabeth admitted.

**“One on one,”...like a giant raven.**

“It’s very rare to find a black Pegasus.” Poseidon commented.

“Blackjack is pretty special.” Percy grinned.

**The pegasus mare...muzzle out with saddle soap.**

Everybody chuckled.

“Wait. What?” Percy frowned. He must have misheard that. He leaned across Apollo to try to read over Grover’s shoulder.

“Blackjack isn’t a mare.” Silena stated with a confused frown.

  
“I know.” Percy replied.

“You’re thoughts.” Grover said gleefully. “You mistook Blackjack for a mare.” Then he burst out laughing.

“I’m telling Blackjack that.” Annabeth sniggered. Percy sat back up again and glared.

“Don’t you dare. I don’t even want to think about how many donuts it would take to get him to forgive me.” 

**“Sir!” Agrius called...see you get whipped?”**

“Nicely put. Now he doesn’t have a choice. If he refuses his men will think he is weak.” Ares nodded approvingly. It might have been similar to how Jackson had goaded him into a fight but when it was applied to someone else he could appreciate it.

“And having to fight you will delay him even further.” Athena finished.

**Luke glanced at his...Annabeth could.**

“Thanks for the vote of confidence but I didn’t have a plan.” She admitted.

“You would have done.” Percy grinned. Athena once again found herself being in the disconcerting position of agreeing with the son of Poseidon. 

“I’m sure you would have got yourself and the Satyr out safely.” She told her daughter.

**On the downside, I knew how good Luke was at sword-fighting.**

“You’re just as good as he is. You need to have more faith in yourself.” Clarisse stated. He looked at her in surprise. “It’s sort of like a self fulfilling prophecy. If you keep believing that he is better than you then you will most likely lose. You have the skill to beat him, you need the self belief.” 

“Thanks.” He said, giving her a smile.

**“I’ll kill you quickly,”...died in the process.**

“Quite a few people.” Hephaestus corrected. “The two opposing metals can only be bonded through the sacrifice of innocent blood.”

**Luke whistled to...equipment to this party.”**

“I guess he really is worried about you beating him then.” Beckendorf grinned.

“Well, he obviously heard how Percy beat Ares.” Annabeth pointed out with an apologetic look towards the War God who grunted his annoyance.

“Percy didn’t need a shield to win that fight either.” Grover said proudly.

**The shield was a...pay for not listening to him.**

“I don’t think the extra ten days of training would make much difference.” Piper said,

“I think he meant that he should have stayed year round.” Jason told her. She nodded.

“Percy did beat Polyphemus in under two minutes.” Frank pointed out.

“Polyphemus had only strength on his side. Luke is also smart and has been fighting since he was a kid.” Annabeth reminded him.

**Luke lunged and...“You’re out of practice.”**

“True.” Thalia winced. But it wasn’t just practise. Percy only had one summer’s worth of training, plus he was tired from having just finished a quest. “But even if you had stayed year round, you would only have had one years worth of training at Camp compared to Luke’s five. Not to mention his training from being on the run.”

“You also need to avoid being hit by that weapon at all costs.” Poseidon told his son.

“I noticed.” Percy grimaced. 

Hermes cringed. He hung his head and tried to block out the words describing how his future son was trying to kill another demigod, especially a demigod he had come to like and appreciate.

**He came at me...straight at Luke’s face.**

“Nice.” Frank nodded.

**The force of the...his feet again.**

“But that guy is quick.” He added.

“Yeah.” Percy agreed.

“Well, we saw earlier that Kronos must have given him some extra powers given his telekinesis, so he might have enhanced his fighting abilities as well.” Athena pointed out. A few people nodded. Kronos would not want his chosen demigod leader to be easily beaten.

**I attacked and...wouldn’t take the weight.**

“How are you alive?” Poseidon asked his son. All of the colour had drained from his face. On Percy’s other side, Apollo was clearly itching to check him over for injuries.

“No idea?” Percy shrugged. “Why?”

“Because if that is a manifestation of father’s scythe then it should have reaped your soul.” Hera told him disdainfully, as if he should already know.

“Maybe it’s a weak manifestation.” Hades shrugged. Hera raised an eyebrow at him. “Clearly the boy is alive.” He rolled his eyes and his sister glared at him.

**“Perrrrrcy!” Grover bleated...not to black out.**

Poseidon was clutching his son very tightly to make sure he was still there.

“So it’s not as powerful as the proper blade but it’s clearly doing something.” Hades said, his voice sounded almost concerned.

**I’d never make it...bared his teeth.**

“I’m going to kill him.” Thalia vowed, furious that he would order Annabeth’s death. Annabeth merely looked down at the floor. 

**That’s when all Hades broke loose.**

Said God let out a huff of annoyance but didn’t comment. Nobody paid any attention when he did so anyway.

**Whish!...to the deck.**

Athena let out a sigh of relief while Thalia nodded tightly, a grim expression still on her face.

**“Brother!” Agrius wailed...over Miami Bay.**

“Good.” Poseidon nodded. 

“Percy got his eternal devotion for that.” Grover smiled.

“I didn’t actually do anything.” Percy pointed out. “The Party Ponies did.”

“I guess he didn’t want to give his eternal devotion to them.” Grover laughed.

“I don’t blame him.” Chiron muttered.

**For a split second...the main stairwell.**

“The Party Ponies are so cool.” Connor grinned.

“They left the rescue a bit close.” Athena sniffed.

“They got there as soon as was possible.” Chiron assured the Goddess.

“Yeah, they didn’t exactly have much warning.” Travis said. “Percy only sent that Iris message a few minutes ago.”

**“Ponies!” Tyson...nothing like him.**

“I should hope not.” Chiron sniffed. 

**There were centaurs...either side.**

“Oookay?” Leo drew out the word in confusion.

“Told you they are awesome.” Connor smirked at Leo’s expression. 

“I wanna meet them.” Dakota said. 

“No.” Chiron said firmly. This was not the first time it had been suggested the son of Bacchus meet his relatives and Chiron simply dreaded such a thing happening.

“I really should show them how to improve their parties.” Dionysus mused.

**They exploded onto...to celebrate or attack.**

“Both, most likely.” Beckendorf smiled.

**Apparently both...the swimming pool.**

“Those arrows are great.” Will smirked. Beckendorf glared at him, having been hit in the face with one of those in the last game of Capture the Flag they had played. Apollo grinned at his son proudly.

“I want some of those.” Frank said. The Romans didn’t really approve of archery much so didn’t have a variety of arrows that the Greeks seemed to have.

“I’ll show you some super cool arrows in the next break.” Will promised.

**His warriors scattered...would retreat.**

“They are actually scary?” Reyna asked in surprise.

“Yeah.” Percy nodded.

“They may look ridiculous but they can fight really well.” Thalia told her.

**“Come get some!”...slip and fall.**

“What’s the point of that?” Ares asked grumpily. 

“It’s a rescue. It’ll work well as a distraction.” Athena reminded him.

“They wouldn’t need to be distracted if they were dead.” He muttered petulantly.

**Chiron galloped toward...it was on fire.**

Poseidon glanced at his son worriedly.

**Luke was crawling...“Withdraw, brethren!” Chiron said.**

“Stay and fight.” Ares complained. 

“This was a last minute rescue, Lord Ares.” Chiron pointed out. “We did not have the weaponry to fight off the whole of Luke’s army had they recovered. We needed the element of surprise. Once we lost that we would be outnumbered and outgunned.” 

**“You won’t get away...in a deck chair.**

“Awesome.” Leo laughed, trying to picture that. Most of the demigods joined in with his laughter.

“He deserves so much worse.” Thalia scowled.

**A palomino centaur...anything to you?”**

“He’s a Cyclops.” Percy rolled his eyes while a few people chuckled.

**Luke’s warriors were...above the ground.**

Thalia paled. It was suddenly sounding less fun.

**I was sure we...downtown Miami.**

“Travelling with Centaurs is weird but super useful.” Percy said. Chiron smiled at him.

“Definitely useful.” Grover nodded.

**I have no idea what the Miamians thought as we galloped by.**

A few people laughed at the thought.

“I bet it was interesting, even with the mist.” Rachel mused, looking a bit amused at the thought.

“Just imagine if you’d been there to see it.” Percy laughed. Rachel pulled a face. She would definitely have thought she was going crazy.

**Streets and buildings...miles and miles.**

“That is almost correct.” Chiron stated with a small smile. Despite the curious looks from the demigods, he did not elaborate further. 

**In no time...on their faces.**

Chiron rolled his eyes while everyone else laughed.

“That’s hilarious. Their camp sounds awesome.” Leo grinned.

“Are we sure Leo hasn’t met the Party Ponies? It would explain a lot.” Piper commented. Jason chuckled. Leo frowned and stuck his tongue out at her.

“Shut up Beauty Queen.”

**Chiron sighed...the brain cells to spare.”**

“They aren’t that bad.” Travis told Chiron. The Centaur rolled his eyes once more.

“Just because they have an affinity for causing chaos.” He huffed.

**“Chiron,” I said...“You saved us.”**

“Yes, thank you Chiron.” Poseidon nodded to his half brother.

“Indeed.” Athena also inclined her head.

“I would never let harm come to the children if it is within my power to prevent it.” Chiron stated as all the Greek Campers grinned at him.

“If only Mr D had that attitude.” Chris muttered.

**He gave me...cleared my name.”**

“And there is that.” Chiron added dryly.

“It was the least we could do.” Percy told him. “You shouldn’t have been blamed in the first place.” All the demigods nodded, even the Romans. It was perfectly clear to them, even in this short time, that the Centaur would never harm the Greek camp.

**“But how did you...up near Miami.”**

“And Percy is the strangest of them all.” Rachel laughed.

“Thanks.” Percy said sarcastically.

**“Gee, thanks,” Grover...Oh, never mind.**

“I was just kidding.” Grover assured Chiron. The Centaur mock glared at him.

**I am glad to see...in this area.**

“For a rainbow Goddess, this Iris seems very useful.” Reyna noted to Dakota. 

**It then took...distance for humans.”**

“Thank goodness for that.” Grover muttered.

“Yeah or they would never have gotten there in time.” Percy nodded.

**I looked over...getting into.**

There were a few snickers around the room.

“Tyson loved paintball.” Percy remembered.

“We should play when he comes back to camp.” Clarisse suggested with a grin.

“You’re on.” Percy nodded.

**“So what now?”...Nobody won.”**

“The kids are alive and have the Fleece.” I’d count that as a win.” Apollo pointed out.

“Yes but that seemed to have been their plan all along.” Athena reminded him, “So even if it was a victory for us, it also played into their plans.”

**“But we got...to get home.**

Chiron nodded in agreement with his own statement. He had missed Camp Half Blood desperately. 

**My brethren here...with Mr. D.**

“More than a few I hope.” Poseidon grumbled.

**There’s the...about the Fleece.”**

“Did you know what would happen?” Thalia asked Chiron.

“I suspected.” He admitted. “Although that suspicion was still not enough to prepare me properly for the shock of actually seeing you alive once more.” 

**I didn’t know...his true intentions.**

Thalia grimaced as she recalled exactly how close she had come to playing her part in those plans. Thank the Gods for Percy. 

“Your gut feelings are often very accurate.” Beckendorf noted to Percy. He shrugged.

“Well, I guess that makes it a good thing I’m terrible at following plans.” Percy joked. 

“In this case that might actually be true.” Clarisse admitted grudgingly.

**Over by the campfire...many bad habits?”**

“I think it’s probably a bit late for that.” Connor laughed.

**Annabeth met his...her tell me.”**

“Yeah.” Annabeth said. “You can’t hide anything from Percy.”

“I’m sure it’s actually another one of his powers. You literally cannot keep secrets from Percy.” Connor agreed.

“He just keeps pestering you until you give in.” Grover added. Percy folded his arms and pouted as all the other campers nodded their agreement.

**His eyes flickered...it secret forever.”**

“No but I had hoped for at least a couple more years.” Chiron sighed.

**“So am I the...when I’m sixteen.”**

Everyone turned to look at Percy. Most of them looked like he was already on his deathbed.

“I’m still here guys.” Percy reminded them.

“Yeah but you turn sixteen in a couple of weeks.” Annabeth pointed out.

“That explains why you are still alive this long after meeting the Fates.” Athea mused. Poseidon gripped his son tightly. He knew the prophecy. He could clearly hear the line about a choice ending his days as if someone was yelling it in his ears.

“Please keep reading.” Percy begged.

**Chiron’s tail whisked...of the Big Three!”**

“And now there are three.” Thalia laughed, though her eyes still showed some sadness. “On the Greek side.” She added quickly.

**“That we know of.”...destroy Mount Olympus!”**

“There is the problem with you knowing about the prophecy too early. You will dwell on it too much.” Apollo sighed. “If you dwell too much you’ll end up trying to guess what it is and then trying to find a way to prevent it.”

**“He will try,”...I was close to.**

“That should be clue enough the prophecy is about Percy.” Apollo said. “The Fates don’t visit people often.”

“I considered that but then Thalia came back and she was older than Percy.” Chiron reminded him.

“Yeah, that would be confusing.” Apollo nodded.

**“I’m just a kid, Chiron,.”...something like Kronos?”**

“Everything.” Poseidon told his son with a strained smile. 

**Chiron managed...Do you understand?”**

“I do now.” Percy told him. Chiron nodded and gave him a smile.

**“I… I don’t know.”...will destroy you.”**

“He tried.” Percy smiled grimly.

**“You talk like...old Chiron was.**

Chiron rolled his eyes as a few people chuckled.

“You did not know?” Athena asked him.

“Nope.” Percy shrugged. “Besides, Kronos is dad’s dad and I don’t distrust him. That knowledge wouldn’t have changed anything.”

**“Is that why...camp for Kronos?”**

“Paranoia.” 

“Stupidity.”

“Blindness.”

“Because they didn’t want to acknowledge the real problem.” Almost all of the Greek campers grumbled under their breath. 

**Chiron’s eyes...spared your life?”**

“That would actually make a much more believable reason.” Thalia said. 

“Seriously?” Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy.

“Hey, it’s a lot to remember.” He shrugged.

**“Percy,” Chiron said, his voice impossibly soft. “The titan Kronos is my father.”**

“Which is a pathetic reason. He’s the father of some of the Gods too but you don’t see them being blamed or put under suspicion.” Percy burst out angrily. 

“Yeah, I mean we all know exactly how great of a father Kronos was.” Annabeth added.

“The chapter is over.” Grover stated.

“That makes it my turn.” Nico said. He retrieved the book from Grover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys, I've been up to my eyeballs in Uni assignments. I hope to have the next chapter up Monday.


	20. The Chariot Race Ends with a Bang

“Chiron, you allowed a chariot race?” Poseidon raised his eyebrows at the Centaur.

“Well, their last one was interrupted.” He replied.

“We can find out who actually won now.” Dakota said eagerly. Clarisse glared. She  _ had _ won.

**We arrived in...travel powers.**

“That’s pretty fast.” Frank whistled.

**I rode on Chiron’s...of Half-Blood Hill.**

“Obviously.” Dionysus stated. “I’m in that blasted camp. Not to mention what we heard in that message.”

“Bet he’s just bitter his entertainment got sent back to Punishment.” Connor whispered to Travis who nodded his agreement.

**The camp had...blows-stuff-up”).**

There were a few sniggers from the Greek campers while Athena looked upset that the Arts and Crafts cabin had been burned down.

“It means Eternal Dragon.” Annabeth told Percy.

“Close enough.” He shrugged.

“It was pretty terrifying.” Silena admitted. “Not many of the campers had ever actually fought many monsters, particularly more difficult ones like a dragon.”

“Yeah, it’s not something any amount of practise can really prepare you for.” Chris agreed.

**The Big House’s...performing first aid.**

Apollo and Chiron gave Will a proud smile.

“They did a wonderful job.” Chiron stated. Will puffed out his chest.

“Obviously.” Nico whispered to him.

**Everybody looked...Thalia’s tree.**

“Nobody was killed though, correct?” Demeter asked in concern.

“No. Nobody died though it was a close thing in a couple of cases.” Chiron told her gravely. All of the Gods frowned at this. Their children had been attacked and almost killed in the only safe place for them. They really needed some better protections, possibly with many layers so that if one was sabotaged, it wouldn’t leave the camp completely defenceless. Maybe they could give each cabin the secret of a layer so any traitors couldn’t bring down camp?

Zeus looked excited. His daughter should be coming back to life any minute. 

**The moment Clarisse...on the beach.**

All the Greek demigods looked both proud and sad. They missed their camp and they also missed not having to go out on life threatening missions every week.

“So, if the Fleece was stolen, would it all go away?” Reyna asked. A few of the Greeks eyed her warily.

“No, child.” Chiron told her. “The Fleece healed and strengthened the borders which are now sustained as they were. Although the Fleece does make the area nicer and healthier as was evidenced on Polyphemus’ island. If you took it away the camp would go back to how it was when Percy first arrived.” She nodded. At least there wasn’t an easy weakness in the camp security.

**Gradually, the needles...Weekly right away.**

“There’s an Olympus Weekly?” Chris asked.

“Oh yes. It has all the latest gossip, news and other things like fashion advice.” Silena told him with a smile. 

**In the meantime...a second look.**

“Regardless, you guys should have been recognised for what you did. The quest would have failed without you.” Reyna frowned. Frankly, if she had gone through all of that, she would have wanted some recognition.

“It didn’t matter. We got the Fleece and rescued Grover. Plus we cleared Chiron’s name. That’s good enough for me.” Percy shrugged.

“And we all got out alive. I’d take that as a reward.” Grover added.

“Plus, if they acknowledged that we had snuck out of camp without permission they would have had to punish us.” Annabeth pointed out.

**It was as if...campers for once.**

A few of the campers threw his guilty looks.

**Later that night...breakfast pastries,**

“That was awesome.” Connor smirked while a few of the Gods burst out laughing.

“It was terrible.” Will told him flatly.

“We should totally tell ghost stories at dinner tonight.” Travis suggested with a look towards Nico.

“No.” The son of Hades stated firmly. The Stolls pouted but he refused to give in.

**Clarisse shoved...hook with Ares.**

Ares nodded.

**I’m still waiting...pulverize you.”**

“He was more than cool. He saved your life.” Will told her in disbelief. 

“Plus rescued you from your own foolishness more than once.” Connor added.

“Guys, it was fine.” Percy told them. “She wouldn’t be Clarisse if she said anything else.” 

**I gave her...camp was safe.**

Percy and Annabeth grinned at each other as the Gods began arguing about who would win this time.

**Tyson wasn’t too...special modifications.**

Many of the Greek campers grimaced as Poseidon grinned. He couldn’t wait to find out what his son had added. It was sure to be good.

**We spent the...wanted to win.**

“Still, giving up not having to do chores.” Connor moaned longingly.

“Well, given that without Annabeth or Tyson I would definitely not have a chance of winning, it was worth it.” Percy pointed out.

**The night before...slung over his shoulder.**

“Hermes!” Zeus cried out. The Stolls both folded their arms across their chests. That was twice their dad had been to Camp and not even said hello to any of them. Chris gave his half brothers a sympathetic look.

**“Hermes?” I stammered...him or what.**

Hermes chuckled. 

“Yes, that’s what you do when you meet a God.” Thalia stated dryly. “Buy stamps from them.” 

“Hey, I wasn’t sure.” Percy shrugged. 

**Then it occurred...diplomatic approach.”**

“How is that diplomatic?” Silena asked.

“I think he was being sarcastic.” Beckendorf told her.

“I did try to talk to him.” Percy defended himself.

“I know. I do appreciate the attempt.” Hermes replied with a heavy sigh. 

**“I’m really sorry...abandoned him.”**

Hermes hung his head. 

**I waited for...as a rodent.**

“I would not do that.” Hermes assured him. “You did as I asked, it is not your fault I failed my son.” 

**Instead, he just...you, Percy?”**

Poseidon stiffened nervously. He thought he knew what Percy’s answer would be but it didn’t make it any easier to hear.

All of the demigods had to stop themselves from nodding as if they had been asked the question. Still, they were curious as to what Percy would say. It was well known he had the best relationship with his godly parent out of all of the campers.

**Oh, man...hundred times a day.”**

Poseidon sighed.

“But I realised that when I looked at stuff, you were watching out. Sending Tyson to Merriwether. Sending us the Hippocampi. Even giving us the pearls on my last quest. You helped where you could.” Percy reminded his father. Poseidon considered, it wasn’t as much as he should have been able to do for his son but it was something. He relaxed a little.

**I hadn’t spoken...or something.**

“Yeah well that’s how it is for everyone else, Prissy.” Clarisse scowled. “At least you’ve met your dad so quit complaining.”

“Hey, I wasn’t complaining out loud. Still, I know I’m lucky. Trust me I know.” Percy told her. Then he sighed. Despite knowing that he was better off than most demigods, that knowledge actually made him angrier. One conversation a year and a couple of signs was all he had and that was the best acknowledgement at camp. And the Gods dared to wonder why their children felt abandoned and turned against them. 

The other campers exchanged looks. In a way they couldn’t blame Percy, it wasn’t like he had had a lot of contact with his dad. Plus, as the child of the Prophecy he had a much bigger weight on his shoulders than they did so he needed more support. But others sort of agreed with Clarisse, even if they would never say so out loud. They were all jealous of how much attention Percy got and figured he had no right to complain when over half the kids at camp had never met their parent or didn’t even know who they were.

**The more I...To notice me.**

“I noticed. I have no doubt of that. Even without a Medusa head this time around.” Poseidon smirked at his son.

“Good. I’d hate to have to mail the same thing every summer.” Percy laughed. Zeus opened his mouth to berate the boy for speaking of something so disrespectful but Poseidon shot his brother a glare.

**Hermes readjusted...spoke to him.”**

“I did realise.” Percy nodded.

“Why would it cause more problems?” Connor asked his dad.

“Because even if we interfered more often, then we may not be able to pay attention to all of our children equally. If we helped some more than others that would cause resentment as well, not just towards us but potentially between each other as well.” Hermes told them. 

“You mean like how you asked Percy to try to persuade Luke to come back but probably didn’t even realise Chris had turned to Kronos’ side?” Travis asked angrily. Hermes winced.

“Travis…” Chris said. “Lay off. Dad and I talked.” Travis eyed him for a second and then nodded.

“Not only that.” Demeter spoke up in the awkward silence. “But if we interfered all the time and solved all of your problems then you would soon forget how to do so yourselves.”

“We aren’t talking about solving all of our problems, most of us would be happy just to meet our parents and have a conversation with them.” Silena pointed out.

“Which still gives the problem of paying different amounts of attention to each of our children.” Aphrodite reminded her daughter.

“Not if you just came to the camp cabin, heck maybe even just sent us an Iris message.” Will spoke up.

“Well, it has been decided that all of the Gods with children at camp will be taking turns as Camp Director so you shall all have a chance to see your parents.” Poseidon told the children. Cheers broke out amongst the Greek demigods. Dionysus pouted and grumbled about how they didn’t appreciate him. Even if he hated his job, he didn’t like the fact that they were cheering his leaving. The disrespect!

**“I tried to kill him.”...to a minimum.”**

A few people nodded. 

“That is not what family should be.” Hera scoffed.

“No. Family is throwing your own son off Olympus because he didn’t look perfect.” Beckendorf scowled at the Goddess. She sneered at him.

“There is no such thing as a perfect family, especially one as messy and complicated as ours.” Demeter told her sister. “Hermes is right.”

**It didn’t sound...life this summer?**

Poseidon smiled.

**In the distance...this summer already.**

“Indeed you have.” Poseidon sent Hermes a mock glare.

“I was hardly involved. Just gave him a little nudge.” Hermes protested though he did smile sheepishly at his uncle. “And gifts that were pretty helpful.” Zeus glared angrily at the constant reminder of rule breaking.

**I really only came to make this delivery.”**

“A delivery?” Zeus asked thunderously.

“That is my job.” Hermes shrugged.

“Who would be sending something to Percy?” Silena asked.

“Well, if they are sending it via Hermes then probably a God. My guess is his dad.” Thalia said. Zeus turned his glare to Poseidon.

**“A delivery?”...dropped the pad.**

_ “Don’t drop us. _ ” George hissed indignantly.

“I knew I should have put them on silent.” Hermes rolled his eyes.

“ _ You should not.” _ George stated.

_ “Don’t be so grumpy.”  _ Martha told him.

“Enough.” Hermes said. He put the phone on silent.

**Ouch, said George...guinea pig?**

Percy grimaced.

**George!..tease the boy.**

“I’m sorry about them.” Hermes grinned at Percy.

**I signed my...sea-blue envelope.**

“You wrote the boy a letter?” Zeus growled. 

“It would seem so.” Poseidon said mildly.

“What part of no interaction are you struggling with?” 

Poseidon shrugged at his brother, not willing to be drawn into an argument as the demigods shot Percy jealous looks.

**My fingers trembled...an ocean wave.**

“It probably was.” Poseidon told him.

“That’s very cool.” Percy grinned.

**“Good luck tomorrow...Hermes cabin.”**

“Of course.” Percy said.

  
“We should hope so.” Connor muttered.

“Of course I’d root for you.” Hermes told him, ruffling his hair.

**And don’t be...I asked.**

“Good question. Why would he be disheartened to hear from his father?” Gwen asked.

“You’ll see.” Percy told her. Poseidon frowned.

**Don’t mind her...letter to say.**

Poseidon sighed. That would explain why Martha had warned Percy not to be disheartened. It would not contain any of those things most likely, even if Percy deserved to hear them. 

**I opened the...Brace Yourself**

“Huh?” Leo frowned.

“Why break the rules and risk Lord Jup...Zeus’ wrath to write two, very confusing, words?” Hazel asked.

“You were warning him about Thalia’s return.” Artemis realised. Poseidon nodded.

“Yeah, I can see why that would be disappointing.” Gwen muttered.

**The next morning...two words?**

“That is a good point. If you’re going to break the rules you could have at least added a congratulations in there.” Hermes stated.

“Or don’t break them at all.” Zeus grumbled.

**Martha the snake... I was prepared.**

“Very good.” Poseidon smiled at his son.

“You caught on quickly.” Thalia grinned at Percy.

**It was hard...hardly a bump.**

“That must be nice.” Connor muttered.

“It was.” Percy smirked.

**The rigging for...of the reins.**

“Cool.” Leo said, writing down some ideas at his workbench. Beckendorf grinned over at his half brother. They would be comparing notes later.

**Tyson had also...opponent’s wheels.**

Poseidon smiled proudly. Hephaestus grunted in acknowledgement of such good work, even if he wanted his children to win.

**The second button...push it away.**

“Well at least we know what they have for next time.” Clarisse said.

“You think that’s everything?” Annabeth scoffed.

“Not even close.” Percy nodded his agreement.

**I figured we...up their togas.**

“We don’t have togas.” Leo frowned. “Do we?” 

“No, Leo.” Annabeth told him.

“Wish we didn’t.” Dakota complained.

“Me too.” Frank sighed. He still wasn’t used to wearing them.

“You guys wear togas?” Percy asked.

“Yeah. Traditions and all that. At least we only have to wear them for official events and such.” Gwen explained.

**“Here,” he said...Tyson was concerned.**

“Oh was that the shield that appeared from nowhere?” Travis asked. Percy grinned.

“Yep. It got damaged in the Lab...last summer. Tyson was planning on making me a new one I think.” 

**I promised him...Learn to survive.”**

“That is brutal.” Silena frowned.

“Yeah. The streets can be rough.” Leo said without thinking. Hephaestus and Beckendorf turned to look at him.

“You lived on the streets?” Beckendorf asked in concern. Leo grimaced. Then he nodded. He sent Nico a pleading look, wanting the boy to keep reading. Thankfully he obliged.

**“But that’s so...fat like Polyphemus.**

“Still, there must be a nicer way to teach that.” Piper said. Leo nodded his agreement. 

**But I got...me a brother.”**

Poseidon and Percy both smiled softly. Percy missed Tyson and Poseidon was glad he had been able to help both of his children at the same time. 

“That’s sweet.” Silena smiled.

**I stared at the...“You will win!”**

The campers had to hide a grimace so they didn’t give away who won.

**“I—yeah, okay...the Hermes chariot.**

“Come on.” Ares groaned.

“Go boys.” Hermes cheered.

“What did you expect. My daughter’s talents with the boy’s ability to speak to horses. They were always going to win.” Athena boasted.

“Percy’s good not just because of his ability to talk to horses.” Annabeth corrected her mother.

“Yeah. He’s a damn good driver.” Beckendorf gave a mock scowl towards Percy who grinned cheekily.

**“We’ve got ’em!”...our right wheel.**

“Good job.” Apollo nodded to Will.

“I wasn’t the one doing that.” Will corrected. “I think that was Jeremy.”

“Well you’re my only son here so you’ll have to take all the praise.” Apollo told him with a smile. 

**The javelin shattered...somehow kept going.**

“Well done.” Poseidon said to his son. 

“It was Tyson’s work.” Percy grinned.

**I urged the...with Apollo.**

Apollo cheered.

**Hephaestus was coming up close behind.**

Hephaestus grunted his approval while Leo slapped Beckendorf on the back.

**Ares and Hermes...with Connor Stoll.**

Ares and Hermes both groaned and glared at each other. Chris cheered on his brothers, impressed that Connor was holding his own against Clarisse.

**If we took...sure was confident.**

“Of course he was.” Apollo smirked.

“I think that was Al.” Will said thoughtfully, trying to think back. 

**“Yeah, right!”...backward somersault.**

Apollo and Will both grimaced.

**The horses felt...chariot behind them.**

The God cursed under his breath while the other Gods with children in the race all smirked happily.

**I held our own...a well-oiled machine.**

“You could talk them into doing some crazy stunts.” Connor grumbled.

“It’s dangerous enough without doing crazy stunts.” Poseidon stated.

“Usually I have to talk them  _ out _ of doing crazy things because the chariot would capsize.” Percy told the Stolls.

**The Hephaestus...pulled himself forward.**

Leo and Hephaestus smirked. This was definitely going better than the last one, even taking the birds out of the equation. Beckendorf looked momentarily pleased but remembered what happened next.

**Annabeth cursed...she yelled.**

“Of course not.” Hephaestus told her. 

**The Hephaestus...“Take the reins!”**

“Percy does have the better blade.” Thalia nodded. Those two really did make a good team when they stopped arguing long enough to work together.

**“But—”...kite string.**

Poseidon smiled triumphantly.

**We lurched forward...our guard down.**

Beckendorf smirked.

“Yeah, he’s vicious.” Connor muttered. “Put me and Travis in the infirmary for almost a week one Capture the Flag game, him and those mean traps.” 

Hermes glared at Beckendorf whose smirk had widened.

“They deserved it. They pranked the Hephaestus cabin the week before.” 

**We were neck...for lost time.**

“Yes! Atta girl!” Ares cheered.

“Aww.” Hermes groaned. If Ares’ lot were catching up they must have beaten his sons.

“We weren’t out, dad.” Travis said with a grin. 

**“See ya, Percy!”...Annabeth yelled.**

Athena and Poseidon both glared at Hephaestus who was smirking proudly.

“You actually use that stuff in games?” Piper asked in astonishment. 

“Yep.” Beckendorf nodded, still grinning widely.

“You guys need to jump.” Leo told them.

“Never!” Annabeth and Percy said together.

**I cursed. I’d heard...It was stuck fast.**

“Stupid special adhesive.” Percy grumbled.

“I’ve heard about that stuff.” Leo said.

“It’s a special recipe passed down by older Hephaestus campers.” Beckendorf told him. “You’ll probably find out soon enough.”

“I can’t wait.” Leo grinned.

**Then I remembered...His blade shattered.**

Poseidon grinned widely as Hephaestus groaned.

“Woah. That’s pretty cool.” Leo said. “Unfortunate though.” He added hurriedly.

**“What?” he shouted...tumbling in the dirt.**

“That hurt.” Beckendorf complained. Percy just smirked at him. He and Annabeth exchanged air high fives.

“Aww.” Leo complained.

**I was about use...He yelped.**

Hephaestus groaned again. There was no way his team were recovering from that.

**In a split second...swerve to avoid it.**

Hermes and Ares cheered as their teams were still in it.

**Annabeth pulled...The crowd roared.**

Poseidon and Athena stood up, cheering loudly. Ares and Hermes both groaned.

“Still, much better than the first try. Well done boys.” Hermes told his kids, ruffling both of their hair.

**Once the chariot...herself heard:**

“Yeah, you don’t ignore Annabeth.” Thalia laughed. Annabeth smirked as all the Greek campers nodded.

Poseidon smiled gratefully at Annabeth.

**“We couldn’t...my baby brother.”**

Poseidon’s smile got wider. He hugged Percy tightly.

**Tyson blushed...on my cheek.**

Aphrodite beamed happily as a few people whistled and catcalled. Annabeth and Percy both blushed. 

**The roaring got...laurel wreaths.**

Athena and Poseidon smiled proudly. 

“That’s it.” Nico said.

“But, I thought Thalia came back?” Jason frowned.

“There is still one chapter left.” Nico told them.

“I shall read.” Athena stated, still feeling pleased about her daughter’s victory even if it was with the sea spawn.


	21. The Fleece Works It’s Magic Too Well

Everyone looked at Thalia who rolled her eyes.

“What do you mean too well?” She asked Percy, offended.

“It did more than it was supposed to.” He told her.

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” 

“Of  _ course _ not. We love having you around pinecone face.” Percy smirked. Zeus glared at him for his sarcastic tone.

“Oh shut up, kelp head.”

**That afternoon was...rocked to pieces.**

“The best afternoon ever, makes it obvious something was about to go wrong.” Percy laughed. Thalia mock glared and hit him with a small bolt of lightning. In return he soaked her with icy sea water that somehow didn’t touch anyone around her. She gasped at the cold and glared at him for real this time.

“You’re so dead.”

“I’d love to see you try.” He retorted.

“That’s enough you two.” Chiron sighed in exasperation.

“Sorry, Chiron.” They said together, looking sheepish.

**Grover announced...set of reed pipes.**

“That’s good.” Rachel smiled at the Satyr. Grover nodded.

**The only bad...improved much.**

“Hey!” Grover complained.

“Sorry G-Man. It was true then but you’re definitely better now.” Percy said with an apologetic look at his best friend.

**He played “YMCA,”...to strangle us.**

“Probably just Grover they wanted to strangle.” Nico chuckled. Grover glared at him. 

**I guess I couldn’t blame them.**

Grover sighed and muttered under his breath about how his friends didn’t appreciate good music.

“Hey, remember the Demeter cabin got completely trapped by the strawberry plants?” Percy asked with a grin. Now Demeter glared at Grover.

“Yeah. It took forever to free them all.” Connor snickered. “Katie was going crazy.”

“Katie?” Demeter asked with interest.

“Katie Gardner, head counselor of your cabin.” Silena told the Goddess. She smiled.

“And Travis’ crush.” Connor added. Travis glared at his brother, ducking away from the stare of Demeter. Thankfully she didn’t seem angry, just like she was sizing him up which was almost as scary.

“Isn’t Katie still mad at you guys for the chocolate Easter bunny thing?” Grover asked. The Stolls smirked and nodded.

“What Easter bunny thing?” Demeter asked sternly.

“It was nothing.” Travis said quickly.

“The Hermes cabin covered the entire roof of the Demeter cabin in chocolate Easter bunnies.” Clarisse explained, eager to see the duo in trouble. The Goddess glared at them. Athena decided to read and get it over with.

**Grover told me...okay with him.**

“But it’s dangerous.” Poseidon told his son.

“True but it was more important to be able to know where each other is and if they are in trouble.” Percy replied. Poseidon frowned. He didn’t consider the gain worth the risk, especially as the Satyr would be likely to run into more trouble while searching for Pan, but it was up to his son.

**He put down...You could die!”**

“Exactly.” Poseidon pointed out.

“Given the trouble your son gets into, I’d be more worried for the Satyr.” Dionysus drawled.

**“If you get in...felt about it.**

“You’re so mean.” Grover complained. Percy grinned at him, not even bothering to look apologetic this time.

**Later on during...looking for me.**

“That feels like so long ago, I forgot they were actually looking for you.” Jason said, a bit surprised.

“So had I by that point.” Percy agreed.

“Well, a lot has happened since then.” Hazel pointed out fairly.

**“How did you...how it’s done.”**

“Which you still haven’t done.” Percy reminded the Centaur. It still bothered him that he had taught Thalia but not him. He sort of got it when Thalia was seemingly going to be the one in the prophecy but now it was quite clear it was going to be Percy and Chiron still hadn’t taught him. Chiron sighed and gave him an apologetic look.

“There hasn’t been a lot of time.” He tried to say but Percy frowned. Alright he wasn’t at camp full time but there was plenty of time during the summer. Sure there had been the Labyrinth last summer and quite a few other missions so far this summer but there had been time. Percy felt like there was something Chiron wasn’t telling him. Or a particular reason he didn’t want to teach Percy.

“Maybe he’s still waiting for you to mature.” Thalia teased. Percy scowled at her. It was alright for her. She had only been back five months and Chiron had taught her more than he’d ever taught Percy, given how much she could do when they went to find Nico and Bianca. Thalia sensed it was still a sore point and shot him an apologetic look. He nodded his acceptance as it wasn’t her fault. Chiron watched the short conversation between the two of them regretfully. He hadn’t realised how much his distance had affected Percy.

**“You mean...called her.”**

“You still hadn’t called your mother?” Piper asked.

“It sort of slipped my mind.” Percy shrugged, looking sheepish.

**The worst part...half-to-death” part.**

“To be fair, that’s a common conversation after a quest.” Annabeth laughed.

“At least your mom cares enough to have that conversation.” Chris muttered. Percy hoped that once Kronos had been defeated he could take a time out and have a couple of years with no life threatening adventures. It was too much of a stretch to expect the rest of his life off but a couple of years would be nice. Still, he doubted he would be that lucky.

**But finally she...in her nature.**

“Just like you really.” Grover noted. “You don’t hold grudges.” 

“Except if someone has really,  _ really _ pissed you off.” Annabeth added.

**“I’m sorry, Mom,”...you again.”**

“You can’t promise that.” Thalia said sadly.

“No demigod can but especially not you.” Rachel nodded.

“Yeah.” Percy sighed.

**“Don’t promise me...know us yet.”**

“Did you?” Leo asked curiously.

“Yeah.” Percy smiled. 

**As for Tyson...wants me to visit.”**

“It will be good for him to spend some time in the forges.” Poseidon nodded.

“Yeah. Tyson does like it there.” Percy said.

**I wondered if...“Now.”**

“That’s not a lot of notice.” Jason noted.

“Too short. I wish he’d been able to stay at least until the end of summer.” Percy agreed. 

**“Now. Like...You will need them.”**

“Well that is definitely true.” Clarisse stated. “We need the weapons.” 

**Unfortunately, I knew he...stood to go.**

“Aww.” Silena cooed.

**“Use the shield...some day.”**

“Definitely. Multiple times.” Percy nodded.

“It was a very cool shield.” Beckendorf smiled. “Tyson is good at making stuff, even before he had training.” 

**The way he said...into the future.**

“No. He just knows you’ll get into some life threatening situation.” Grover chuckled.

“Yeah. That is kind of obvious.” Thalia agreed.

**He headed down...Monster Donuts.**

There were a few chuckles at this last scene.

“That sounds really cool.” Leo noted. He thought about making one depicting his adventure with Jason and Piper. Beckendorf was thinking about one to commemorate all those who had died in the battle at camp at the end of last summer.

**I couldn’t help...bunk all night.**

“I’m sure I’ll let him come and visit.” Poseidon stated.

  
“You did.” Percy nodded.

**“Hey, Percy.”...blinking a lot.**

“Suuuure.” Annabeth said sarcastically. “That was the problem.” Percy glared at her.

**“Tyson …” I told...enchiladas at all.”**

“At least they had peanut butter for Tyson.” Percy laughed.

“Peanut butter?” Poseidon questioned.

“Tyson adores the stuff.” Percy told him.

“Understatement.” Grover muttered.

“Yeah, he’s as crazy about peanut butter as Grover is about enchiladas.” Annabeth said.

“That is pretty obsessed.” Thalia laughed.

**Annabeth held...like old times.**

“I miss those days.” Grover sighed. They were all so busy on missions and stuff that there was almost no time for it to be just the three of them.

**A storm raged...our magical borders.**

“Don’t tell me Zeus was upset again?” Hera asked in exasperation.

“No. Somebody just wanted a dramatic entrance.” Percy smirked. Thalia grinned.

**Still, my dreams...Brace yourself.**

Zeus was too excited to hear about his daughter’s return to scold his brother for sending his son messages in his dreams.

**I woke with a start...in my veins.**

“You almost gave me a heart attack Grover.” Percy complained. “I thought Annabeth had been attacked.”

“Sorry.” Grover said sheepishly.

**I threw on some...just lying there …”**

Thalia pulled a face. It had been so weird. Not only was she pretty disconcerted about the fact she was alive but she had been surrounded by random unknown faces, plus a couple of faces that were years older than they should have been.

**I ran outside...armor and pajamas.**

“Well, it was a pretty strange event, even for camp.” Silena pointed out.

“Yeah, it’s not everyday someone other than a Nymph pops out of a tree.” Clarisse agreed.

“I didn’t pop out.” Thalia argued.

“The roots moved and suddenly you were lying there.” Annabeth told her. “It was weird.”

**I heard the...control the prophecy.”**

“Good to know you were so pleased to see me.” Thalia muttered.

“Thalia...you know what I meant.” Chiron sighed. She nodded. Still, it was hard to hear that they considered her return a bad thing and a threat. 

“It makes you wonder how long he has been planning this.” Apollo muttered.

“It was probably a back up plan in case Perseus could not be controlled.” Athena stated.

**“What do you...too well.”**

“You could have been a little more pleased to see me alive.” Thalia said dramatically.

“We could have but it’s you.” Percy teased.

**We galloped forward...the unconscious girl.**

Annabeth smiled at how worried Percy was about her.

**When Annabeth saw...“Percy, wait!”**

“Why?” Jason asked in confusion. Yes it was a bit strange but they could at least make sure she was ok.

“For one, I wasn’t sure Thalia was alive and I didn’t want Percy to see that if she wasn’t. If all was well, then it may not have been the best thing for Thalia to see Percy first. As a son of Poseidon and a daughter of Zeus, I wasn’t too sure if sparks would fly, literally.” Chiron explained.

“Honestly, it was better that it was Percy. If I’d seen Annabeth or Grover 

**I knelt by her side...seen her before….**

“Well you do keep having creepy dreams about me.” Thalia laughed.

“You still look the same.” Reyna frowned, thinking about the description.

“Well this was only two years ago.” Annabeth pointed out.

“Also, like less than six months later I became an immortal Hunter of Artemis.” Thalia explained. Nico grimaced. That meant the next book probably covered what happened to Bianca. Part of him wanted to know exactly what happened but the bigger part of him wasn’t ready to hear about her final moments.

**“It’s true,”...were burning.**

“Well your natural instincts would be wary of her.” Poseidon sighed. He didn’t like that his children were affected by his own rivalries but there wasn’t a lot he could do about it.

**“She needs nectar...acting so scared.**

Zeus looked at Percy and though his expression barely changed, Percy spotted the gratefulness in there. It shocked him that he even got that much from the King of the Gods. Poseidon smiled proudly. His son was quick to help, even someone who his instincts told him should be an enemy.

“Thanks, man.” Jason said. He was glad that at least one person was willing to help his sister. Percy nodded.

**I took her by...all too stunned.**

“Really?” Jason frowned. He wasn’t impressed that nobody except Percy was helping, even if it was a shock.

“Well forgive us for taking a few moments to process someone coming back to life.” Annabeth snapped. She felt bad for not helping Thalia more quickly but she had barely been able to comprehend what was going on let alone do anything.

**Then the girl...“You’re safe now.”**

“Thanks kelp head.” Thalia said sincerely.

“I figured that was the important part.” Percy stated. She nodded. For a split second she had panicked when opening her eyes to see a strange face and recalling all the monsters that had been chasing her. And, as he said, being safe was the only thing that mattered to a demigod.

**“Strangest dream …”...What’s your name?”**

Thalia shuddered as she recalled waking up. Her time as a tree was blurred and vague and going from that to all the sounds and sensations of being alive again was incredibly jarring. It had taken her a while to even notice she was no longer dying. Percy’s attitude had helped enormously. As she wasn’t all there, she hadn’t noticed the natural instinct to stay away from him until much later which had really confused her given how safe he had made her feel when she first woke up. 

**That’s when I...my worst enemy.**

“A bit dramatic.” Thalia laughed.

“Well, if you joined Kronos, you would be far worse than Luke.” Percy pointed out. Thalia shuddered at the idea while Zeus looked affronted at the suggestion that his daughter would turn against the Gods.

“Thank goodness you two settled on being friends.” Grover said.

“Eventually.” Annabeth muttered. “Be grateful you haven’t seen half of their worst fights.” 

“Actually, you missed their first really big one.” Grover pointed out. “Besides, you bicker and fight with Percy all the time. You give me migraines and Satyr’s don’t  _ get _ migraines.”

**“I am Thalia,” the girl said. “Daughter of Zeus.”**

“That’s the end of the book.” Athena announced. 

“Well that was a dramatic ending.” Connor laughed.

“Let’s have a break before starting the next book.” Chiron suggested. “We can have an early lunch as we got started quite late.”

“We need to have our fight.” Thalia reminded Percy.

“You’re on.” He nodded. They both got up and everyone followed them to the fighting pit, eager to watch.

Thalia and Percy stood facing each other in the fighting pit. The rest of the demigods sat on the marble benches with the others. Plenty of bets were being made but the two hardly paid any attention. Percy drew Riptide while Thalia pressed her bracelet and brought out Aegis. She then drew her spear. Percy considered his options. He obtained a shield from the pile in the corner and returned to face Thalia.

“Ready?” Chiron called. They both nodded. “Begin!” For a few moments they simply studied each other and then Thalia moved in. She had the longer reach so jabbed at him with her spear, while staying out of range of Riptide. Percy dodged under her attack and swiped at her legs. Thalia jumped over his attempt and made to jab her spear downwards into his side. He rolled out of the way.

“Is that all you’ve got?” He asked.

“You want more, Jackon?” Thalia glared. A bolt of lightning flashed down and struck Percy. He cried out as he was thrown backwards. Zeus, Jason and a few others, including most of the Romans, cheered at this. Percy simply got to his feet and raised an eyebrow. She moved in ready to attack once more. Percy stabbed the sandy floor with Riptide and then stepped backwards in order to avoid the jab towards his thigh. Thalia looked confused for a second and then the ground underneath her exploded and a jet of water shot out, pushing her backwards. Thalia toppled over, soaking wet and spluttering. Poseidon, Apollo and a lot of the demigods cheered at this.

“Had enough yet?” He laughed.

  
“You’ll pay for that.” She told him but she was laughing as well. Percy moved in before she could regain her feet and attacked. Thalia rolled along the floor and jumped up. She raised Aegis and Percy was forced to avert his eyes. Still he persisted and moved in close. Thalia blocked his first hit but his second connected with her ankle and she hissed in pain.

“First blood goes to Percy.” Chiron called out. Another round of cheering broke out. Thalia and Percy took a time out for a few minutes before resuming. They exchanged a few more hits. Percy took a cut to the arm and a cut lip from where Thalia had hit him with Aegis. Thalia sustained another cut to the same leg, this one a bit further up and a bruised hand where Percy struck her with the flat of his blade. 

Both of them were trying not to use their powers too much but occasionally Percy would get hit with lightning and in return he would make water spout out of the ground. One time he slammed his sword into the ground and caused a huge earthquake which threw Thalia off balance. However, it also threw Percy off because he had been expecting more water. He did recover first and used the time to knock Aegis out of Thalia’s hand. Then he kicked it away so she couldn’t retrieve it. 

“Urgh.” Thalia groaned in frustration. They continued exchanging blows, though the fight tipped in Percy’s favour as he still had his shield. Still, Thalia managed to disarm him so they were fighting spear on shield for a few moments until Riptide returned to Percy. 

Eventually Percy used his shield to deflect an attack from Thalia before twisting towards her and thrusting Riptide so it was resting against her collarbone. What he hadn’t noticed was that she had recovered in time to swap hands holding her spear and aim it at his stomach. As he felt the tip of the spear resting against his abdomen he grinned. Then they both burst out laughing.

“It seems to have ended in a draw.” Chiron announced. Almost everyone groaned except Grover who had been the only person to bet on a draw. He smugly counted his winnings and then congratulated the two of them. 

With the fight over, Apollo raced over to Percy and began healing him while Will did the same with Thalia. Everyone made their way to the dining hall and tucked into a very nice lunch. Thalia and Percy in particular began shovelling in food having worked up quite an appetite.

Once everyone had finished they made their way back to the throne room. 

“I’ll read.” Hephaestus grunted. He picked up the new book.


End file.
